Conjunctivitis or popularly known as Madras eye has affected many including children and the fear of the epidemic has pervaded Tumkur City in the last one week.

After many years, the conjunctivitis has reappeared, though the officials concerned have to confirm. In the City at least one in 20 people is suffering from the eye sore and majority are schoolchildren. Through children it is spreading fast creating anxiety among the parents to treat the children and also to protect other members of the family from the infection. 

Dangerous level
However, eye specialists and other doctors opine that the epidemic has not reached dangerous level and once a person is infected, the conjunctivitis takes three to four days to cure.

The symptoms of the  conjunctivitis includes itching in eyes followed by which a white sticky liquid comes out of eyes; pain and tears follow next; both the eyes turn red,swollen and sticky.

There are medicines and eye-drops for the infection. However, as precaution, spectacles should be used while going out to avoid dust and also to prevent infection.

 A head miss of a private school said, 10 students in the school were infected with conjunctivitis on the same day as a boy who had first sore eye attended the class.
Even in factories many workers are absent due to the infection. Even the police department complains of the shortage of staff due to sore eye.

Ignore
But some of the employees, who are infected, in all the sectors including press, ignore precautionary measures even when they come to duty.