Hamirpur (HP): Over 200 people in the Tauni Devi area of Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district are suffering from diarrhoea, with a surge in cases over the past two days, officials said on Monday (March 11). Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Hamirpur Dr R K Agnihotri said 128 new cases of diarrhoea were reported in 27 villages of 12 panchayats in the Tauni Devi on Monday, taking the active caseload of such patients in the area to 213.
Dr Agnihotri said four diarrhoea patients have been hospitalised.
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Meanwhile, the cause behind the disease spread is yet to be known and the Jal Shakti and Health Department has taken water samples from nearby drinking water sources and has sent them for testing, the officials said.
The patients also complained of stomach ache and dysentery, they said.
After a spike in cases, the health department took immediate steps after receiving information about the spread of diarrhoea in some villages of the Taunidevi area, the CMO said.
So far 26 teams under the supervision of Block Medical Officer Dr Abhineet Sharma have visited the 27 villages where the cases were reported, Agnihotri said. The CMO said essential medicines, ORS packets and chlorine tablets are being distributed to the people in the area. Patients have been advised to drink water only after boiling it and take other necessary precautions.
The health department has taken four samples of water from the affected area and sent them for testing, he added.
A male patient in his thirties told PTI,
Three days ago I suddenly felt pain in my abdomen followed by vomiting after which I started taking medicines at home but when I got to know that diarrhoea has spread on a large scale, I went to a hospital on Monday.
Most of the patients are from the villages of Gwaradu, Lohakhar, Tauni Devi, Chahad, Tapre, Bari, Mahade, Ghalot, Siswa, Barin, Khandehra, Ladayoh and Jhanikkar villages, the officials said.
Some water samples from old water sources have been collected and sent for testing and the picture would be clear are the reports, said Junior Engineer of Bari Section of Jal Shakti Department Nitin Bhardwaj.
The department has also started chlorinating the water sources, he added.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
