Rajbiraj, Nov. 9 -- In Sadatol of ward 5 in Chhinnamasta Rural Municipality, three people, including two children, have died of diarrhoeal infections suspected to be caused by cholera. A one-year-old boy, a four-year-old girl and a 70-year-old man succumbed to the deadly disease in the rural municipality two weeks ago. Many others have taken ill in the impoverished settlement where sanitation, public health awareness and healthcare remain severely lacking.

Tests conducted on nine suspected patients confirmed cholera in five, said local health authorities. Around 90 households in the settlement, a predominantly Musahar community, depend on three hand pumps for daily water needs, but none of the homes have a toilet. The Musahar are histori...