Four dead as Diarrhoeal outbreak hits Bengal; nearly 160 affected
The district administration and the local civic body have started distributing ORS and halogen tablets and a door-to-door visit has been initiated to find out if any more people have been affected. The water reservoirs have been chlorinated and a medical camp with medical officers and paramedical staff has been set up.
Four people died and nearly 160 others fell ill after an outbreak of diarrhoea in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas since Tuesday. More than a hundred people have been hospitalized, health officials said.
“Till Wednesday afternoon around 160 people have been affected in a diarrhoeal outbreak in Kamarhati. At least 116 people had to be admitted in two hospitals. Even though four people have died, two of them, including a child, died due to diarrhoea. The other two, both women, died of other causes,” said a senior official of the state health department.
The district administration and the local civic body have started distributing ORS and halogen tablets and a door-to-door visit has been initiated to find out if any more people have been affected. The water reservoirs have been chlorinated and a medical camp with medical officers and paramedical staff has been set up.
“The situation is under control. We have sent nine samples of rectal swab and four water samples to the Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases for investigation,” said Ajoy Chakraborty, director of health services.
Panic gripped local residents who have started purchasing water for drinking and cooking purposes.
“My husband and mother-in-law fell ill. They complained of severe loose motion and vomiting. Neighbours rushed both of them to the hospital. While my husband has been discharged after preliminary treatment, my mother-in-law is still admitted at the Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital,” said Rina Sarkar, a resident of Kamarhati.