Diarrhea that has spread across a Muslim settlement in Jaleshwor Municipality-12 in Mahottari for the past one week has yet to be contained.
So far, a four-year-old child named Khushbu Khatun died of the disease, while more than 200 people have taken ill.
Children and pregnant women have been affected the most. The disease may take a form of pandemic if not contained on time, said health workers.
The local people contracted the disease after they ate fishes caught from the paddy fields, said the local people.
However, doctors said a sample of stools and urine of the patients would find the exact cause of the disease.
Teams from various health institutions including doctors have started treating the patients by setting up health camps on the ground. The settlement has more than 300 households. The disease has not come under control despite efforts by the medical teams, said Dr Rajib Jha, medical superintendent of Jaleshwor Hospital.
"More than 210 people are suffering from the disease. Each house has patients with the disease. Over 50 patients are being administered saline solution in the camps. Some of the patients have been transferred to the District Hospital, Jaleshwor for want of space in the camps," said Santosh Kumar Thakur, District Public Health Office inspector.
