GUNTUR: The district administration has set up medical camps and started a survey after a girl died and 36 people fell ill after a diarrhoea outbreak at Kolakaluru village in Tenali mandal of Guntur district in the past two days. The deceased has been identified as Sri Nidhi, 14, a resident of the SC Colony in the village. She was suffering from nausea on Wednesday. After getting treatment from a local RMP, she got better. However, on Thursday morning, her health deteriorated and she fell unconscious.
Her parents rushed her to a hospital in Tenali where she was declared dead. About 10 people fell ill with similar symptoms around the same time, raising panic in the villagers. The district health department officials rushed to the village and set up a temporary medical camp. On Friday, the number of affected people increased to 36.
Due to a shortage of beds at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in the village, several patients were shifted to various hospitals. As many as 16 patients are undergoing treatment at Kolakaluru PHC, 11 patients in Guntur GGH, five in Tenali GGH, and four in a private hospital in Tenali. A temporary medical camp was set up at Kolakaluru ZP School with 25 beds.
The health workers, ASHA secretaries and ANMs are conducting a door-to-door survey to identify the patients suffering from diarrhoea and shift them to the medical camp. The reason for the diarrhoea outbreak is yet to be identified. The villagers allege that drinking water gets contaminated due to leakage as the comprehensive water pipes are under the drainage pipes.
Officials have stopped the water supply to the village and arranged water tanks and cans from RO plant and taken up a special sanitation drive in the village. Water and food samples were collected from the village and sent to the lab for testing. Local MLA Annabathuni Sivakumar and District Collector Venugopala Reddy, visited the village and inspected the medical camp. He instructed the officials to provide required medicines, ORS and buttermilk packets to all the patients.
Speaking on the occasion, the district collector said food and water samples were sent for testing and the reason can be ascertained only after the results came. A tender was called to relocate water pipes near the drainage pipes and works will be started soon.
Health Minister Vidadla Rajani said a team of 30 medical staff, including six doctors, are in the village, providing medical help to the villagers and that the situation is under control. She also assured the villagers that the state government will provide the required assistance to them.