VIJAYAWADA: Special Chief Secretary (Health, Medical and Family Welfare) MT Krishna Babu said the swift intervention of the Medical and Health Department has brought the outbreak of diarrhoea in Gurla village of Vizianagaram district under control. In a communication to the Chief Minister’s Office, he has furnished the details of a quick response to bring the situation under control.
Following the directives from Minister for Health Y Satya Kumar Yadav, Public Health Director Dr Padmavati was sent to Gurla to monitor the situation. Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Dr A Siri also visited the district on Sunday to coordinate the efforts to curb the spread of diarrhoea. A special task force has been formed to study the causes for the outbreak of diarrhoea and submit a comprehensive report to the government, he said.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the contamination of drinking water was linked to leakage in pipelines and groundwater pollution caused by open defecation in the area. Analysis of water samples in the laboratory had confirmed the contamination of water. As a measure to check the spread of diarrhoea, protected drinking water is now being supplied to villagers through tankers, he said.
Patients with severe dehydration were shifted to nearby medical facilities, including CHC at Cheepurupalli, GGH in Vizianagaram and KGH in Visakhapatnam. A door-to-door survey was conducted, and suspected cases were referred to free medical camps for treatment.
Krishna Babu instructed the formation of a team comprising specialists in public health, epidemiology, microbiology and community medicine to conduct a detailed survey and recommend further preventive measures.
Diarrhoea broke out in the village on October 13 with one reported case, followed by 55 cases on October 14, 65 on October 15, and a gradual decline thereafter. Only one case was reported on October 19. As of now, 33 patients had recovered, and 22 are still undergoing treatment in various hospitals.
Dr Padmavati submitted a report to Krishna Babu stating that only one person died of diarrhoea in the village and seven others succumbed to unrelated ailments.
Dy CM’s visit today
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan will visit Gurla on Monday to assess the situation after the outbreak of diarrhoea. He will review the sanitation and drinking water supply in the village