Cholera outbreak: More areas in Zirakpur's Baltana report cases, count 427

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Mohali, August 13

Sixteen more cases of cholera surfaced in the Baltana area of Zirakpur today, taking the total infection count to 427.

Also, 20 more patients have been admitted to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Dhakoli since last evening.

According to the Health Department, the fresh cases were reported today from the Yog Vihar, Ravindra Enclave, Golden Estate, Ekta Vihar and Hem Vihar areas of Baltana. The Mohali Civil Surgeon, Dr Adarshpal Kaur, said all cases that surfaced in the area today were “mild in nature”. She said medical camps were being held in all affected colonies for the past five days.

“Aggressive sampling is being done in all affected colonies and medical teams and ambulances have been stationed in the area. We are also providing free medicines to the affected people,” she said. Girish Verma, Executive Officer, Zirakpur Municipal Council, said they had found leakages in supply lines at three more places in the Baltana area and these had been plugged. “We are checking the other pipelines also,” said Verma. Two persons, including a three-year-old girl, have succumbed to the infection in the past three days.

Senior SAD leader and Dera Basssi MLA NK Sharma, meanwhile, visited Baltana and interacted with the residents. The legislator also arranged a medical camp in the area. “Owing to the negligence of the authorities, diseases are spreading in the district of Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu,” Sharma asserted and demanded action against the officials responsible for the negligence.

Preventive care

Dr BS Chadhok, national adviser, Indian Institute of Homoeopathic Physicians, said people in the affected areas should take ‘Arsenicum Album 200’ as a preventive measure. He said critical patients should take three drops of the medicine after every one hour for about a week to recover fully. Dr Chadhok urged the Mohali Deputy Commissioner to distribute the medicine to the people in the affected areas.

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