Tura, August 23 : Thousand of people including children of the Mahendraganj area under Zikzak block in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya are infected by a contagious skin disease.
Men, women of all ages – pregnant, lactating mothers, kids, young children – all are infected with multiple featured skin diseases. Villagers say, thousands of people are infected with skin disease, including children.
The skin disease somewhat resembling eczema and pityriasis rubra, the infected area looks like rashes, dry patches, small boils in their bodies – in the under arm, belly area, skins of inner joints, ears, shoulders, breast areas of lactating mothers. Many of these people are poor and uneducated.
Since the area is in the Indo-Bangladesh border and government health schemes are not reaching the people of the region. If appropriate interventions are not taken by the health department in the area, the epidemic may spread to other nearby areas.
Smti Sabnam Mohan Raj, Director of the NGO Vasu, told SP News Agency over phone that they just want the government to sent some doctors to the areas, she also said that this skin disease has been affected the areas for quite some time she said.
Smti Sabnam said that she has told to one officer to convey this message to the government and she was glad that the SP News Agency has inform the Health Minister of Meghalaya about the problems faces by the people living in the border area with Bangladesh.
When the SP News Agency asked the Health Minister Mr AL Hek weather the department have received any official complaint from the people of Mahendraganj under Zikzak block of WGH District, the Minister said that he has not received any information but he will asked the official of the department to look into it.