Skin disease epidemic breaks out in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills

Around 1000 people including children, pregnant women of Mahendraganj area in South West Garo Hills district have been infected by contagious skin disease.

Men, women of all ages – children, pregnant women, lactating mothers – all are infected with multiple featured skin disease in the bordering areas.

Maximum villagers of Mahendraganj area are affected by the skin disease.

“We are not cured so far. We had went to the hospital and doctor gave us some medicines including tablets, ointment etc, but we are not cured,” an affected lady said.

Mahendraganj is one of the most populated areas in South West Garo Hills district and the area affected by floods recently.

Some people said that, most of the people take bath in dirty ponds and stagnated paddy fields and living in unhygienic conditions and such unhygienic living style may lead to many infectious diseases.

On the other hand, the infected people alleged that the government has not done anything yet to control the situation.

“Maximum people of Mahendraganj area are infected by skin diseases. I am also affected from this disease. We went to the hospital, but didn’t get sufficient medicines. The situation has turned more worsen after the flood. Around 70 per cent people are affected,” an affected youth said.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)