MEGHALAYA | Outbreak of skin disease finds babus napping

A Contagious skin disease has started taking Meghalaya into its deadly grip. And rising cases may soon spell a full-blown health crisis as a fight between the state government and the NGOs means there are not sufficient medical facilities to tackle this epidemic skin disease.

Many people including children at Mahendraganj area in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya have been 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.

More than 6000 people have been infected with skin disease, of which 2000 are children: as per reports.

The NGO concerned about the spread of skin disease in Mahendraganj, South West Garo Hills, has taken exception to the statement of Deputy Commissioner S Ramkumar, who claimed that the viral skin affliction was fake news.

Earlier, Shabnam Mohan Raj, the CEO, Voluntary Association for Social Upliftment (VASU), Guwahati, in a rejoinder, said that she had told the deputy commissioner that it is a fact that there is large scale spread of skin disease in many villages around Mahendraganj.

"I have taken many photographs and videos from that area of people suffering from skin problems", Raj said.

However, the deputy commissioner said it is false news and asked her to withdraw the news. The NGO leader alleged that DC also threatened her with legal action. "I told him that I have not given any news to the media houses", Raj said.

The disease resembles eczema and pityriasis rubr and the infected area looks like rashes, dry patches, small boils in the underarm, belly area, skins of inner joints, ears, shoulders, breast areas of lactating mothers.
The Government health schemes are not reaching the people of the region in the Indo-Bangladesh area of the state. There are fears that appropriate interventions are not taken by the health department in the area, the epidemic may spread to other areas.