VIJAYAWADA: A surge in cases of diarrhoea cases has been recorded at the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) Nuzvid campus hospital over the last 20 days, prompting the commissioning of a team of medical experts to assess the situation.
Typically, the campus hospital sees 150 to 250 outpatients daily for common ailments. However, since August 9, an average of more than 40 students have been seeking treatment for conditions including vomiting, diarrhoea, and similar issues.
Speaking to TNIE on Friday, District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Dr Sharmishta confirmed that the infections among students persist, with at least 40 to 48 students affected daily. She attributed the problem to unhygienic kitchen conditions, suspecting that those who consumed the food earlier were particularly at risk. Water and stool samples have been collected, and results are expected by Saturday.
A team of three expert doctors, including professors of General Medicine, Microbiology, and Social Preventive Medicine, was sent to Nuzvid on Friday to assess the situation.
TNIE obtained official hospital data from the hospital in-charge in Nuzvid, covering the period from August 20 to 30. Statistics reveal that a total of 1,722 outpatients were recorded. Of these, 133 cases were of diarrhea, with 30 requiring admission. Additionally, 424 fever cases were reported during this period.
On August 27, the highest number of 228 cases were registered, followed by 218 on the next day, and 206 on the following day. Diarrhea cases peaked at 38 on August 29, while 27 cases were reported on August 24. Inpatient cases were noted on August 25 and 26.
Regarding fever cases, 58 were reported on August 23, 55 on August 28, 52 on August 25, 49 on August 27, and 48 on August 29. Notably, no cases of malaria, dengue, or chikungunya were reported over the past 10 days.
Meanwhile, the state president of the Students Federation of India (SFI), Prasanna Kumar, expressed concern over the recent reports coming from RGUKT (IIIT) in the last few days, calling the situation alarming. He pointed out that there have been numerous complaints in the past regarding the quality of food provided to students.