Kathmandu, May 16: His Majesty’s Government has formed “Rapid Response Teams” at central, regional and district levels with a view to effectively preventing and controlling possible epidemics, and regularly collecting and disseminating information in this regard.

The teams are expected to be instrumental in preventing and controlling possible epidemics like malaria, kalazar, Japanese encephalitis, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, measles and viral influenza on time.

According to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the Department of Health, the division has set hotline (telephone No. 255796) from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to collect information on such epidemics.

As per the government decision, in the event of the outbreak of any epidemic, the zonal level hospitals specified in each region will be mobilized in the treatment of patients suffering from one or the other epidemic, and the central level rapid response team will be mobilized only if the epidemics cannot be prevented or controlled from the district and regional level.

Director of the division Dr. Mahendra Bahadur Bista said that the division is considering establishing a nationwide Epidemiology surveillance system network to prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases and control them in the event of the outbreak of such diseases.

Koshi Zonal Hospital, Biratnagar (eastern region), Janakpur Zonal Hospital, Janakpur and Narayani Sub-Regional Hospital, Birgunj (central level), Gandaki Zonal Hospital, Pokhara and Lumbini Zonal Hospital, Butwal (western region), Bheri Zonal Hospital, Nepalgunj (mid western region) and Seti Zonal Hospital, Dhangadhi (far-western region) have been identified as key hospitals for the treatment of patients in the event of the outbreak of epidemics in the respective regions.

If need be, manpower of central level hospitals will be mobilized with the coordination of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division of the Department of Health Services and the directors of the hospitals concerned.

Twenty districts—Kanchanpur, Kailali, Dadeldhura, Nawalparasi, Mahottari, Dhanusha, Sindhuli, Morang, Jhapa, Ilam, Kavrepalanchok, Saptari, Siraha, Sunsari, Sarlahi, Bara, Parsa, Banke, Bardiya and Rupandehi— are usually affected by vector borne diseases like malaria, kalazar and Japanese encephalitis, while all 75 district of the country are susceptibe to food, water and air borne diseases like gastroenteritis, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, measles, menengitis and viral influenza.

About 5000 people suffer from viral influenza and 500 of them die of the disease every year, while encephalitis affects 50,000 people and takes the lives of 1,500 of them every year. Some 100,000 to 200,000 people suffer from gastroenteritis and three to five thousand of them die of the disease every year.