Report on Medical Camp Visit for Screening and Treating of Tonsillitis/Pharyngitis and Heart Related problems organized by Nepal Heart Foundation

 

Background: 

 

Tonsillitis and pharyngitis is a common childhood disease which occurs mostly in the children who are of age 5-15 and who are living in poor housing condition.  The striking of the earth quake on 25th of April 2015 in Nepal with Hugh destruction of the housing had forced children to live in the camp provided by different organization and had caused heart related problems due to excessive stress.

 

Objective:

• Screening of the Children in community and camps for Throat and chest infection.

• Treatment of the children with tonsillitis and pharyngitis.

• Primary prevention of Rheumatic Fever/Rheumatic Heart Disease (RF/RHD) by early detecting and treating tonsillitis and pharyngitis.

• Aware the general population about the Tonsillitis/Pharyngitis and RF/RHD.

• Screening of the older adults with the heart problems.

 

Doctors Involved:

• Dr. Prakash Raj Regmi—Senior Cardiologist

• Dr. Krishna Kanta Shrestha—Cardiologist

• Dr. Satya Narayan Suwal—Cardiologist

• Dr. Sujina Maskey—MBBS Doctor

• Dr. Amina  Shrestha–Neurologist

 

 

Method used:

• Visit to Chautara of Sidhupalchowk district and screened and treated the children with tonsillitis/pharyngitis and older adults for heart diseases.

 

Procedure:

A visit to the Chautara of Sidhupalchowk was done in 19th of June, 2015, Friday.  Sidhupalchowk is most devastated place by the earthquake.  A visit to the Government school named Shree Krishna Ratna Ganga Higher Secondary School was done.  Two storied School was totally devastated by the earthquake, so tin tent was used to teach the students, which could compromise education as well as health condition of the students due to poor sanitary and poor quality water to drink to.

 

Screening of 285 children from the age of 5-15 were done and was found 45 children to have throat infection, they were treated with antibiotic azithromycin 250 mg and 500 mg according to their need.  For further investigation an echocardiogram of 25 students were done.  Following the screening of the children, a screening of older adults was done.  All total of 51 older adults were screened for their blood pressure and for different heart related problems and treated according to their problem.

 

Conclusion:

The above results showed that more children were with throat infection as compared to the other places.  Low sanitary condition, poor housing, poor drinking water and poor hygiene and less approach of resources might be one of the major causes.  It was even found that more older adults were with heart disease which might be imparted due to high level of stress.