Diarrhoea outbreak in Andhra’s Vizianagaram district under control

According to the special Chief Secretary, the outbreak started with one case on October 13, followed by about 200 cases till October 18

Amaravati: Diarrheal diseases which affected 200 people over the past one week and also led to the death of a person at Gurla village in Vizianagaram district has come under control, said an official.

Health and Family Welfare Special Chief Secretary MT Krishna Babu said that the diarrhoea outbreak occurred in the village due to open defecation polluting the groundwater, and also water pipelines going through the drainage system.

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“The diarrhoea outbreak in Gurla has come under control due to the effective measures taken by medical officials… currently 53 people are undergoing treatment for the disease,” said Babu in an official release.

According to the special Chief Secretary, the outbreak started with one case on October 13, followed by about 200 cases till October 18.

Babu said diarrheal cases with severe dehydration were referred to government hospitals in Vizianagaram, Vizag and Cheepurupalli, while free health camps were set up after carrying out door-to-door surveys.

Further, he directed officials to carry out a comprehensive survey deploying specialists such as public health experts and others. He also asked officials to ensure that water does not get contaminated and see that potable drinking water is being supplied to people through tankers.

The official said that only one person succumbed to diarrhoea, while seven others died due to other health complications. Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation and assigned senior IAS officer K Vijayanand to undertake a comprehensive study of the entire diarrhoea development.

Directing officials to supply drinking water until the problem is resolved, Naidu called for the continuation of health camps and coordination between various wings of the government.