SRIKAKULAM: One person died and another 90 people are undergoing treatment due to a diarrhoea outbreak in the Srikakulam municipal corporation limits. A second death has also been reported, though the authorities are yet to confirm if it was caused by diarrhoea.
The deceased have been identified as Mandala Suresh of Kandra Veedhi and Sadasivuni Narasimhamurthy of Golkonda Revu. The duo succumbed to multi-organ failure after allegedly being affected by chronic diarrhoea.
The Andhra Pradesh government has announced Rs 10 lakhs in compensation to the kin of the deceased.
The outbreak is concentrated in densely populated neighborhoods including Kaki Veedhi, Dammala Veedhi, Gudi Veedhi, Kandra Veedhi, Manguvari Thota and Golkonda Revu.
Although the exact cause of the outbreak is yet to be ascertained, local authorities suspect it was triggered by consumption of contaminated drinking water.
According to preliminary investigations, recent road expansion works in the area is believed to have damaged municipal pipelines supplying drinking water, allowing drainage water to seep in and contaminate it.
Speaking to TNIE, Srikakulam DM&HO Dr K Anitha confirmed that so far 90 diarrhoea cases have been reported in the municipality limits.
Among these, 37 people are undergoing treatment at their homes while the others have been hospitalised.
Minister Kondapalli Srinivas spoke with officials and inquired about the situation and measures being taken to control the spread of the disease by both the district and municipal administrations.
The minister also directed officials to provide the best possible treatment to those affected.
The health, municipal and other officials have been conducting door-to-door surveys and distributing ORS pouches, sanitation, and awareness materials in the affected colonies, besides operating a special control room. 08942-229080 is the helpline number for information related to the outbreak.