Plague in Shimla

Feb.19,2002

Warnings on disease were ignored
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 18
The death of four persons due to the outbreak of "plague" in the Rohru area of the district has exposed the laxity of the health authorities who had ignored the warnings of an expert regarding recurrence of the disease.

This is for the third time that the disease has broken out in the area since 1965. The last time it was in 1982 when eight persons had died at Tangnu village.

It is being pointed out that although the authorities deserve appreciation for having swung into action well in time by taking steps to prevent the disease from becoming an epidemic, but implementation of the action plan recommended by Dr Jaidev Retola to combat its cyclic recurrence could have prevented the loss this time.

The problem appears to be under control now as no new patient has reported in any of the hospital during the past 92 hours. Dr Retola, who was among those doctors who fought the disease in 1982, got training by the National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD) for the purpose.

In his action plan submitted to the authorities way back in 1990, Dr Retola had reportedly pleaded for surveillance in this plague-prone area. He had again written a letter to the Chief Medical Officer in 1996 expressing apprehensions that might break out again in the area. Dr Retola, who is heading the medical unit in the state Assembly, is again in the forefront fighting the disease in the Rohru subdivision.

Dr Ram Lal, Senior Medical Officer at Rohru, acted swiftly and administered antibiotics to the first patients which helped in saving many lives. He also reportedly informed the PGI, Chandigarh, in this regard.

Shortage of doctors and paramedical staff in the area has been a longstanding problem which the authorities have so far not been able to meet.

Mr Virbhadra Singh, CLP leader and former chief minister, said today that the health institutions, including the Civil Hospital at Rohru and Jubbal, in spite of having the necessary infrastructure, were woefully short of doctors, paramedical staff and medicines. Had these been properly equipped, it would have been possible to treat all the patients in the hospital at Rohru itself thereby preventing the anxiety which has gripped other parts of the state also.