Nepali Ministry of Health and Population has sent two truckloads of medicine to 18 districts of hilly regions to check the outbreak of viral influenza during the winter season.

"The Epidemiology and Disease Control Department has started providing necessary drugs in hilly areas as people from these regions could be affected from viral influenza and diahhoreah during the winter season," Director of the department Mahendra Bahadur Bista said here Monday.

According to the department, to control the outbreak of viral influenza and diahhoreah, it has already sent necessary drugs like antibiotics, paracetamol and syrups to the country's regional medical stores of mid-and-far-western regional medical stores.

The medicines will be distributed at all the concerned medical stores within a few days, Bista said.

The department has also directed the regional medical stores to keep "buffer stocks" of the drugs to prevent the viral outbreak.

According to the department's annual reports, a total of 19 deaths out of 1875 cases and 37 deaths out of 1889 cases were reported in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

Source: Xinhua