KATHMANDU: A research carried out in the sewage water from four different places of Kathmandu found coronavirus causative pathogens in two locations.
A research executed in Kathmandu by Center for Molecular Dynamics showed that the water in two such drainage was found containing COVID-19 causative pathogen.
Environmental Surveillance’s two month long research has come out with such result.
One of the lead researchers Dr. Diwesh Karmacharya informed that the genetic study of the drainage since last two weeks came out with the findings that Kathmandu drainage has coronavirus pathogen.
“We had collected the sample from the sewage of four different places where the drainage consists of at the sewage from 100 households,” he said, “The coronavirus was found in the drainage because it contained human feces.”
He added that the virus in the drainage also hinted that the virus has spread at community level.
“The study showed that the virus is already spread in community level. It could be that the virus came out from those who haven’t shown the symptoms of coronavirus transmission,” Dr. Karmacharya said, “However, the transmission can still take place prior to showing symptoms.”
Dr. Karmacharya thinks such study help the health checkup penetration in the communities found having coronavirus.
“This can help in penetrating the tests in the areas the drainage were found contaminated when the PCR tests has not been made mandatory for all,” he said.
Public health expert Dr. Samir Mani Dixit also applauded the study and said that the study addressed the fear of public health experts that the coronavirus could have been transmitted at community level.
“The virus in the drainage shows that the virus has transmitted at community level,” Dr. Dixit said, “We had been demanding that the PCR range should be made wider, the study also shows that we’re right.”
He shared that the center is planning to conduct similar research in Lalitpur and submit the conclusion to the Ministry of Health and Population.
After finding the coronavirus positive report of the people without travel history, speculations are made that the virus has transmitted in the community.
Kathmandu Valley has seen coronavirus cases in 12 people who do not have travel history lately.
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