Smallpox spreads in Bihar village, locals allege medical negligence

More than 100 people from 35 families have been infected with smallpox in a village in Bihar's Supaul district, an official said.

The infected people include children and the elderly. The victims alleged that they have not received any medical attention from the health department.

Victims said that the district health department did not know about the spread of the disease till Monday when they have been infected with smallpox for the last three months.

The victims claimed that they were undergoing treatment at the local level as the health officials did not provide them with treatment.

The villagers also claimed that neither health officials nor any public representatives came to see them.

"A medical team arrived on Tuesday. We have assisted them in the identification of the patients. The infection keeps spreading in the area," said Mohammad Ismyle, a resident of ward number 4 of Triveniganj.

The incident occurred at ward number 4 of Triveniganj in Supaul. The area is considered as a Muslim-dominant area. The majority of the infected persons belong to the Muslim community.

"As soon as we learnt about the disease, we sent a medical team to the village to provide treatment to the infected persons. Process of identifying the patients is currently underway," said Dr Mihir Kumar, civil surgeon of Supaul.