Open house: What measures should Mohali administration take to control diarrhoea outbreak?

The authorities should ensure supply of safe, filtered water. People should also use boiled water for drinking purposes. The patients should be taught the habits of taking ORS or simple clean water with little salt and sugar to guard themselves from dehydration. The further spread can be prevented by washing hands often, using sanitisers and having clean, home-cooked food. The authorities should restrict the sale of food and cut fruits in unhygienic conditions. Food inspectors should be more vigilant. Further, the administration should distribute medicines among residents of the area from where such cases are reported.

NPS Sohal, Chandigarh

Raise awareness on preventive measures

Medical camps in affected areas may be immediately organised to contain the number of diarrhoea cases. A cleanliness drive should be conducted and stagnant water disposed of immediately. The district administration should make people aware of preventive measures against the disease through media.

Kirpal Singh

Supply clean drinking water

Cases of diarrhoea have surfaced mostly in villages. Heavy rain and accumulation of dirty water are responsible for the disease outbreak. People have been getting drinking water mixed with dirty water. Floods following rains and poor drainage system increased the chances of diarrhoea outbreak in slums and villages. There is a need to improve the drainage system to save people from water-related diseases. Clean drinking water must be supplied in these areas to check the spread of the disease.

Wg Cdr (Dr) JS Minhas (retd), Mohali

Blame it on apathetic administration

The recent recurrent outbreaks of diarrhoea in Mohali district are a pointer to the indifference of the administration in checking such events, which occur during monsoon every year. The failure to ensure the supply of safe drinking water is perhaps the main cause of such outbreaks. The administration should keep a check on water pipelines, regularly test water, replace rusted, leaking pipes and take steps to ensure sewage does not mix with drinking water.

Dr Dinesh Kumar Verma, Panchkula

Distribute chlorine pills in affected areas

The administration must start a door-to-door campaign for distribution of chlorine tablets in affected areas. Tankers of purified water must be made available in all vulnerable areas. ORS drinks must be supplied free of cost to every household and hospitals must be adequately equipped to dealt with cases. As children are more prone to the disease, extra beds must be available in paediatric wards of government and private hospitals with proper arrangement for intravenous fluids.

Yash Khetarpal, Panchkula

Improve hygiene, sanitary conditions

The district administration should provide safe drinking water, improve sanitation and hygiene, promote proper nutrition and hold awareness campaigns on the importance of hygiene and ways to tackle the disease. Distribute ORS packets and zinc tablets. Monitor the situation closely and take appropriate action as needed.

Amanjot Kaur, Mohali

Detect disease early for timely intervention

To prevent further spread of diarrhoea, the administration should identify the source of contamination of drinking water being supplied to the affected area. It should establish a robust health surveillance system to monitor disease trends and detect outbreaks early. This can help in implementing timely interventions. Involve local community leaders and stakeholders in planning and implementing disease-prevention strategies.

Prithvee Yakhmi

Take special care during monsoon

The administration should take special precautions during the monsoon and treat water with chlorine before supplying it to people. Water pipelines should be checked for any breakage or leakage.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

Promote food cooked at home

Citizens must drink safe and filtered water. They should avoid street food as it can easily get contaminated and eat home-cooked food. Campaigns and rallies should be held to inform people about the precautions to be followed to control the outbreak.

Arpita Anand, Chandigarh

People should keep surroundings clean

RWAs should make sure the surroundings of locality are neat and clean. It is the administration’s duty is to reach out to villagers and tell them to remain cautious to avoid seasonal diseases.

MR Bhateja, Nayagaon

Good nutrition can boost immunity

It is the duty of the administration to provide safe drinking water to all residents. Test water sources and take corrective action when necessary. Also, enhance the capacity of healthcare facilities to handle diarrhoea cases. To boost immunity, nutrition programmes should be started by the administration.

Anita K Tandon, Mundi Kharar

Check pipelines supplying water

The authorities should adopt standard operating procedures to protect residents from contacting virus. They should ensure supply of clean water, provide chlorinated water and issue chlorine tablets in affected areas. Medical camps should be conducted at such places. Water supply lines should be checked for point of contamination.

Vidya Sagar Garg, Panchkula

Onus on health, sanitation depts

It is the responsibility of the district Health Department to take all proactive measures to protect residents from water-borne and vector-borne diseases. Awareness drive should be launched in all vulnerable areas and medical check-up and relief camps should be set up there. Simultaneously, the department of water supply and sanitation should continue to check pipelines in areas where water has accumulated to identify and rectify the points where water is being contaminated.

Vijay Shukla, Chandigarh

Need for drive on diarrhoea awareness

Diarrhoea prevention depends on access to safe water, adequate sanitation and basic hygiene. Rehydration, intravenous fluids and antibiotics help patients recover from the water-borne disease. The administration should periodically clean water reservoir, and regularly monitor the quality of water reaching households. An awareness campaign regarding prevention of diarrhoea can be conducted through webinar, posters, newspaper, radio and television.

Adish Sood

Prevention better than cure

The first and foremost thing is to take preventive measures against consuming contaminated food or water. Second is testing the water supplied to the area from where cases are being reported. Vendors selling eatables in the open and without maintaining hygiene should be taken to task. It is rightly said that prevention is better than cure.

Capt Amar Jeet, Kharar

Drink fresh, clean water

There should be a better coordination between health and public health departments. Sewer pipes must be frequently checked for leakages. Drinking water must also be checked before it is supplied in the district. Public should be motivated to keep their surrounding areas neat and clean. They should be advised to drink fresh, neat and clean water. Health camps must be arranged in the affected area.

Sumesh Kumar Badhwar, Mohali

Boil water before drinking

Water-borne diseases are common after floods and the government is expected to be ready to control their outbreak. Since its efforts often fall short, people should make sure that they take preventive measures to save themselves from diseases like diarrhoea, which may be fatal. The least they could do is to ensure they have clean water and boil it before taking it.

Sukhwant Bhullar, Chandigarh

Supply chlorinated drinking water

Monsoon season is most conducive for water and vector-borne diseases. The district authorities therefore must ensure frequent fogging, spraying of insecticide in stagnant water bodies and weeds. Adequate measures must be taken for supply of chlorinated potable water. Chlorine tablets should be distributed wherever needed. On their part, people should observe self-hygiene, follow preventive protocol and maintain cleanliness in and around their habitats.

SS Arora, Mohali

Solution lies in having clean drinking water

The issue of water-borne diseases is more about prevention than cure. Diarrhoea outbreaks are common during summers and monsoons. First of all, clean water should be made available to the residents. Complaints about poor water quality should be addressed immediately. Providing clean drinking water will solve most of the problems related to water-borne diseases. Besides, one should wash hands before meals. Drink filtered water. In absence of a water purifier, boil water before drinking. In case of gastro-intestinal disturbance, increase the fluid intake, take small meals and take small sips of ORS or homemade drinks like lime juice.

Dr Shruti K Chawla, Chandigarh

Fault lies in water supply chain

After recent heavy rains in the region, the dreaded disease of diarrhoea has struck Mohali district once again. Old, worn-out water supply pipes, loose and illegal connections, variation in water pressure and negligence in chlorination of main water sources have been attributed as the main causes of outbreaks in the district. Sewage gets mixed with drinking water due to leakage in pipes. Road repairs and digging for laying telecom cables also lead to contamination of water.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

Provide safe drinking water to all

Monsoon brings along many water-borne gastrointestinal diseases. There have been many cases of diarrhoea complications in Mohali due to contaminated potable water. The administration should ensure supply of safe drinking water to its all citizens. The administration should create awareness on sanitation, washing hands with soap and good personal and food hygiene. The rotavirus vaccination should also be done before the onset of monsoon. Children should avoid eating street foods which generally are unhygienic. All vegetables should be washed with warm water before cooking. Prevention is always better than cure!

Dr Anil Kumar Yadav, Chandigarh

Check water quality on routine basis

The recent outbreak of diarrhoea in Mohali is a reminder for the compromised safety and cleanliness of food and drinking water, which is also a major violation of the basic human rights. The authorities need to make sure that the daily water supply is properly filtered at the waterworks. Awareness should also be spread among the commoners about the importance of drinking boiled water and consuming well-cooked food. The city’s administration should also routinely examine the quality of the water being consumed at homes. It is also important to check the health and safety standards of the roadside food and drinks vendors.

Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh

QUESTION

Various departments in the PGI do not have adequate number of doctors. How can the premier health care institute effectively address the mounting workload amidst shortage of staff with the additional challenge of insufficient infrastructure?

Suggestions in not more than 70 words can be sent to openhouse@tribunemail.com