NALBARI, July 29 - Parents of Ganesh Harijan, a boy studying in Class-IV at Bherbheri village, brought him to Dhamdhama hospital, 5 kms away from their home on Saturday.
Ganesh had been suffering from acute fever since the last eight days. Barely able to stand on his own minus his parents� support, his mother Maina Harijan said they could not bring their son to the nearby hospital earlier as the flood completely submerged their village since the last one month.
Their dwelling houses, she mentioned, was reeling under waist-deep flood water and the entire family was compelled to seek shelter in a relative�s house.
Her husband Hiring Harijan, who is a daily wage labourer, had been unable to find work since the last one month. �Obviously, we are facing a lot of trouble to maintain our family,� Maina lamented.
She added that they had no money to purchase medicines for her ailing son. Even the surface communication network to the nearby hospital was cut off as the flood waters had damaged all the rural roads. They finally carried the sick boy to the hospital with great effort.
One Pratibha Das of Chataibari village told this Correspondent that her two college-going daughters were suffering from abdominal pain as they have been deprived of using proper toilet facilities since the seasonal deluge inundated everything.
The son of Nagen Das of Sataibari was immediately admitted to the Swahid Mukunda Kakati Civil Hospital by a 108 ambulance as his health condition deteriorated after a bout of fever.
The above are not the only sufferers of water-borne diseases in flood-affected Nalbari district. As the flood situation has persisted, water-borne diseases have assumed an alarming condition. Cases of viral fever, diarrhoea, cough and fungal infections have lately become the norm in the flood-affected areas.
While talking to The Assam Tribune, Deputy Commissioner Bharat Bhushan Dev Choudhury said that reports of various water-borne diseases have been detected and medical check-up has been intensified in the affected areas.The health of the inmates in relief camps too was thoroughly checked.The district Health department organised a good number of health camps in the flood-affected areas.
He added that the district administration will hold five mega health check-up camps in each LAC of the district.
Meanwhile, the Nalbari district unit of AASU alleged that despite infectious diseases affecting the flood-hit people, the Government has not taken it seriously. The president and general secretary of the district AASU Gunajyoti Pathak and Akshay Deka respectively demanded the Deputy Commissioner to take serious steps to combat water-borne diseases after the flood havoc.
In the meantime, the Nalbari district unit of AASU organised three large health check-up camps at Solmara, Sariahtali and Namati areas with the help of leading hospitals of Guwahati city.
