2 tetanus patients of DjMCH put in quarantine

The authorities of Dinajpur Medical College Hospital [DjMCH] vacated the surgery ward and suspended the functioning of operation theatres for 72 hours, following the detection of two tetanus patients there on Tuesday, said Dr Partha Sharathi Roy, in charge of the ward. 

The patients -- Sazedur Rahman of Mohdipur village of Phulbari upazila and Siraj Uddin of Sundarpur village under Kaharol upazila of Dinajpur -- underwent surgery at the hospital on September 15.

A tumour was removed from the back of Sazedur Rahman while hernia operation was conducted on Siraj Uddin, said the doctors.

"After the surgeries, the two patients left hospital for home. They came to the hospital again on September 27 to get their stitches removed. On suspicion, doctors conducted a thorough check up on Tuesday and found that they were infected with tetanus," Dr Partha said.     

The two tetanus infected patients were sent to Dinajpur General Hospital as DjMCH does not have any quarantine facility, said Mohammad Ali, assistant director of DjMCH.

The DjMCH authority suspended all kinds of operations for next 72 hours and vacated the surgery ward to prevent highly risky tetanus infection.

During a visit to the hospital yesterday, the correspondent found patients of the surgery ward were lying on the floor of the corridor.

The patients will be shifted to their ward within 72 hours, said Masud Rana, ward master.

Emdadul Haque, deputy civil surgeon of Dinajpur General Hospital, said, "The two tetanus patients are being treated here in quarantine. There is no need to panic."

Doctors, however, said fatality rate among tetanus patients is high.