Saptari woman's death not due to elephantiasis drug: EDCD
ARJUN POUDEL
KATHMANDU, Feb 6: The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) on Tuesday claimed that death of a woman in Saptari was not due to the medicine against elephantiasis administered to the people as part of the government´s Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign.
The EDCD, under the Department of Health Services (DoHS), said that it has already issued order to the district and regional offices to investigate into the woman´s death.
According to Director at EDCD Dr GD Thakur, the medicine is 100 percent safe. He claimed the death of Samjha Devi Sadha, 55 of Bavangaavakatti, 3 was not caused due to the medicine. “According to preliminary reports, the woman felt sick only 24 hours after she took the medicines and died 12 hours later,” he said. Dr Thakur claimed that the medicine does not show side effects after 24 hours.
However, the deceased´s family has blamed health workers of negligence.
EDCD also said that Urmila Devi Thakur had not taken any medicines against Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) during the campaign. “I myself had reached her village. I did not find any negligence on the part of health workers," said Bijaya Kumar Jha, senior public health administrator of Saptari.
He said that a senior staff nurse had interrogated the woman properly before administrating the drugs. Jha said the woman had told that she had consumed the drugs in the previous campaigns and she had not been taking medicines for any chronic disease.
The woman was reportedly a patient of heart disease and hypertension. But EDCD said patients of hypertension can take the medicine against elephantiasis if they are not seriously ill.
Meanwhile, senior Public Health official at EDCD Dr Bishwa Raj Khanal said the office has formed a probe team to probe if medicines that have crossed expiry date are being administered. Dr Khanal said the medicines administered during the campaign are World Health Organization (WHO) Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certified. The first phase of the campaign launched in 37 districts on Saturday has ended Tuesday.
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Saptari Woman's Death Not Due To Elephantiasis Drug: EDCD
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