Deaths of as many as 26 people in the past two months have left locals of the Satbariya settlement in Pokhariya Municipality-4, Parsa, worried, prompting them to seek some sort of divine intervention to protect them.

 Villagers here have even started visiting temples and offering prayers to invoke “God’s mercy”.

“We don’t know who will die next,” said an anxious Rajeshwor Thakur, a local. Villagers said so many funeral rites had to be performed in the past two months that they were running out of firewood.

According to them, people of different age groups—children, youths, adults and

 elderly—have died in the last two months.

Another local Shyambabu Chauhan said two of a family died in a span of 15 days.

He called on the concerned authorities to look into the matter.

A team of the District Public Health Office (DPHO) surveyed the affected village on Wednesday. DPHO Officer Raj Kishor Prasad said eight children under the age of 12 had died in the village.

Three of them had died of diarrhoea, parents informed, adding that a newborn, who was underweight at the time of birth, also died. Twelve persons who were above 55 years also have died while six deceased persons were aged between 12 and 55.

“In case of adults and elderly, they might have died of natural causes,” said Prasad, adding that some died of cancer, paralysis or kidney ailments. “We cannot categorise the situation as an epidemic.”

The DPHO team attributed children’s deaths to cold and diarrhoea. Dr Roshan Chaurasiya, Medical Superintendent of Pokhariya Hospital who was involved in the inspection, said they have not identified symptoms of communicable diseases in the village. “Patients suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes and other fatal diseases are not taking medicines regularly,” he said.

Measles claims one more child

KAPILVASTU: A four-year-old girl of Rangapur VDC-1 in Kapilvastu has died from measles, taking the death toll in the district to seven since the disease broke out two weeks ago.

The District Health Office informed that Anita Yadav, the daughter of Baliram Yadav, died on Wednesday at her home. The victim, who sustained tiny spots

all over her body, had been bed ridden due to high fever for the past several days.

Children from ward Nos 1, 2 and 3 in Rangapur have shown symptoms of measles over the past week. Health workers have treated 48 affected children in villages of the district.

One-year-old Reshmi Khatun, Jannati Khatun, 5, and Mamuddin Mushalman, 7, who contracted the disease, have been admitted to Taulihawa Hospital. Public Health Officer Bishnu Jaishawal said their condition was getting better.

A team of health workers led by Rangapur Health Post in-charge Pramod Chaudhary has started treatment in the affected areas.