KAKINADA: One woman died and 35 others fell ill reportedly due to diarrhoea at Kommanapalli village in Thondangi mandal of Kakinada district. Water contamination is suspected to be the reason for the outbreak of diarrhoea, officials said.
According to information reaching here, a 36-year-old woman, identified as Nagamani, died on Friday while she was being shifted from the Kathipudi Hospital to Kakinada Government General Hospital after she complained of diarrhoea.
Following the diarrhoea outbreak, a health camp has been set up at Thondangi. Of the total 35 who fell ill, six children and as many adults have been shifted to Kakinada GGH based on the advice of doctors, while the remaining are being treated at local primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Thondangi.
Kakinada GGH superintendent Dr Lavanya Kumari said all the 12 patients are safe and are being treated at a special ward in the hospital.
With a population of around 3,000 people, Kommanapalli village gets water supply from two overhead water tanks — one old and one new. People who have been affected by diarrhoea were being supplied water from the old tank, District Medical and Health Officer Dr Narasimha Naik said.
Samples of water and food have been collected and sent to the microbiology departments in Visakhapatnam and Kakinada Government General hospitals for testing.
Tuni MLA visits patients at Thondangi health centre
Dr Naik said a team of doctors has been deployed to monitor the villagers’ health. One ANM has been appointed to look after 50 people, he added. The village has been sanitised and on the suggestion of the health department officials, tankers have been deployed to provide safe drinking water to villagers, the DMHO said.
Meanwhile, locals suspected that a monkey died in the overhead tank leading to contamination of water. Villagers also alleged that the contaminated water was being supplied for the past one month.
Tuni MLA Yanamala Divya visited the Thondangi PHC to meet the patients and inquired about their health. She assured that all the patients are safe and the district health department has taken all measures to address the issue.