In a rare case, a live leech was found inside the throat of a man from Tsirang. The leech has been living inside the throat for over two months and was removed at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) on March 30.
Doctors say it is the first such recorded case in the country.
Senior Medical Specialist Doctor Ballab Sharma said he was surprised to see a leech inside the throat while he was conducting an endoscopy. He said a 55-year-old man came to him complaining about serious breathing difficulty and pain in his throat.
“When I did the endoscopy I found out a live leech in his voice box. It was moving in and out in his voice box. I tried to take it out with biopsy forceps but it was too slippery to be taken out. It needed to be handled by ENT surgeons.”
Later he was referred to the ENT specialist and the leech was successfully removed by anaesthetic support.
Doctor Ballab Sharma said the case is only common in animals.
“It is due to direct drinking water from the stream without any filtration. If you drink directly from the stream, smaller leeches can go inside and it can grow big in size. I would like to tell everyone not to drink directly from the stream. It has to be filtered or boiled”
Doctors say if not diagnosed on time the leech could damage the bronchial and can collapse lungs ultimately leading to death.
