NGO slams DC’s claim of fake news
SHILLONG: 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.
Shabnam Mohan Raj, the CEO, Voluntary Association for Social Upliftment (VASU), Guwahati, in a rejoinder, said on Sunday 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.
Raj also told the deputy commissioner that she shared the facts and photographs with many of her friends so as to garner help for the suffering people.
“If any of them had given the news to media houses, I don’t know. But the information is true”, Raj said.
According to the NGO leader, it is a fact that the DC spoke to her on the evening of August 23 about the news item regarding skin problem in Mahendraganj which went viral in which her name and telephone number were quoted.
However, the deputy commissioner said it is false news and asked her to withdraw the news.
The NGO leader alleged that the DC also threatened her with legal action.
“I told him that I have not given any news to the media houses”, Raj said.
“The alleged statement that he (DC) had a discussion with Sabnam Mohan Raj and she had clarified that the report there was no such outbreak of the disease is incorrect”, the statement said.
879 cases in three months
After the assessment by a team of medical officers, it was found that there are as many as 879 cases from June till August 24.
The number of cases in June was 313, in July 359 and in August 207.
A team led by KA Sangma, District Medical and Health Officer, South West Garo Hills district and Lucybeth Sangma, Dermatologist, Tura Civil Hospital and other officials visited Mahendraganj Community Health Centre and surrounding areas on Saturday.
The doctors found that the skin infection was endemic in nature and there was no increase in the number of cases as the trend has been constant as indicated by the OPD records.
According to the report submitted to the Director of Health Services by South West Garo Hills district medical and health officer, the reason for skin infection is that people live in crowded and unhygienic environment as Mahendraganj is one of the most populated areas in the district.
The report said people take bath in dirty ponds and stagnated paddy fields and such unhygienic living style may lead to many infectious diseases including skin infections.
The medical and health officer of Mahendraganj CHC observed that patients do not take full course of medicines leading to complications and reappearance of the infection with more aggressiveness in nature.
The NGO leader, however, said the affected patients should get the right treatment and added that many do not want to go back to the CHC since the medicines did not help them.