Health Minister sounds alert amid diarrhoeal outbreak in Jaggaiahpeta, Kakinada
Twenty-one new cases reported on single day, taking the count to 67 in Jaggaiahpeta mandal; In Kakinada, 148 cases reported from three villages due to pollution of a lake, a source of drinking water
In view of the diarrhoeal outbreak in Jaggaiahpeta mandal, Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education Y. Satya Kumar Yadav on June 23 (Sunday) visited the Community Health Centre at Jaggaiahpeta and enquired about the health of the patients undergoing treatment there.
Twenty-one new cases of diarrhoea were reported on the day, taking the count to 67 in the mandal, officials from the Health Department said.
Comorbid conditions
The number of confirmed deaths was one, they said, adding that while five deaths had been reported, they all had comorbid conditions.
Meanwhile, more than 100 diarrhoea cases had also been reported from Kakinada, officials said.
“We understand that it is our utmost responsibility to protect people. That is why officials of different departments have been put on alert and are working together to bring the situation under control,” Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav said, adding that Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan had already held a review meeting on the issue.
‘Contamination prime reason’
The Minister said that water contamination appeared to be the chief cause for all cases reported in NTR, Kakinada and Guntur districts since the beginning of the monsoon.
“Poor sanitation, lack of cleaning of distributary channels, leakages leading to cross contamination of pipelines are to be blamed. The sad state of affairs reflects the poor management of funds in the past five years,” the Minister said, adding that the TDP-led NDA government was working on long-term solution to the problem.
He said the results of water testing showed that samples from 217 resources were slightly contaminated. “This would not have been the case if all departments worked together,” he said.
Officials warned
Warning of strict action against officials for dereliction of duties, the Minister instructed the municipal authorities to ensure proper sanitation of the town, and to see to it that best measures were taken to prevent seasonal diseases.
The Minister was joined by Medical Health & Family Welfare Special Chief Secretary M.T. Krishna Babu and Commissioner S. Venkateswar, among others.
In Kakinada, 148 cases of diarrhoea were reported from three villages due to pollution of a lake. “The lake is located near a well, which is a source of drinking water for them,” said Director of Public Health and Family Welfare K. Padmavathi, who visited the villages and took stock of the situation on Sunday.
“There are no diarrhoeal deaths so far, and that five new cases have been reported today,” she said.
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