Panic in North Bengal, Sikkim as Nairobi Fly causes skin burns, rashes
Experts, however, said that there is nothing to panic about as the allergies were not serious and can be easily treated with some antibiotics and ointments
Panic gripped a large section of people living in the hilly regions of north Bengal and neighbouring state Sikkim after more than 100 people reported skin allergies triggered by an insect popularly known as Nairobi Fly.
While around 100 students of a private engineering college in east Sikkim reported skin allergies in the last couple of days, similar cases have also been reported from Mirik, Darjeeling and Siliguri.
“On Monday morning, I noticed a red colour allergy on my neck. It was irritating. I visited a local dermatologist. He prescribed an ointment and the problem subsided,” said Sunil Pradhan, a Siliguri resident.
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Experts, however, said that there is nothing to panic about as the allergies were not serious and can be easily treated with some antibiotics and ointments.
“Though this year the number of skin rashes and allergies have shot up, this is nothing serious and not uncommon. The problem is a regular occurrence in the region during the rainy season and quite normal,” said Dr Mani Kumar Sharma, health minister of Sikkim, who is a senior dermatologist himself.
The fly, which is a native of East Africa, causes irritant contact dermatitis when it releases pederin- a toxic and acidic material on the human body. Pederin causes chemical burns on skin.
Dhiraj Saha, an entomologist in North Bengal Medical College and University said, “As a defence mechanism, the fly releases pederin - a toxic substance which causes irritation and allergy. The fly is also known as Rove Beetle. The life span of the fly is 10 to 15 days and the problem would subside as the rainfall decreases.”
Experts said that such cases of allergies triggered by insects have been rising over the past few years due to global warming and heavy rains.
“Such cases (skin allergies triggered by the Nairobi fly) could be on the rise because of global warming. The damage of its habitat due to excessive rainfall is one of the reasons why the fly is entering human habitats in large numbers. The fly gets attracted to the light during the night and when it releases acidic substance on human bodies, it causes allergies,” said Kumar Basnet, head of the zoology department, Alipurduar University.
Between June 1 and July 6, Sikkim has registered 672.5mm rain which is 27% more than what the state usually receives around this time of the year. Darjeeling in north Bengal has received 812.8mm rain which is 8% more than the normal.
S Chanda, superintendent of Darjeeling district hospital said “Only few cases of skin allergy are being reported in OPD. There is not a single case of serious allergy.”
Dr Deependra Timshina, a senior dermatologist in Siliguri said, “The problem is called irritant contact dermatitis. It is not new but the number of people reporting rashes and skin allergy is on the rise. As the rainfall has decreased, the number of such cases has also come down.”
