Suspected diarrhoea outbreak in Ramgarh, over 12 infected

Over 12 persons have been infected in a suspected diarrhoea outbreak in Ramgarh village of Panchkula district. The development comes close on the heels of the district witnessing a spike in dengue cases.

Village residents claimed they had been getting the supply of contaminated drinking water, which had led to a rise in the number of people falling sick with diarrhoea-like symptoms. According to them, sewage was getting mixed with drinking water due to leakage in the underground pipes.

On receiving complaints, three teams of the Health Department, each headed by a medical officer, a dental surgeon and a health inspector, visited the area to assess the seriousness of the situation.

“We have received complaints that many people have fallen ill and showing diarrhoea symptoms like loose motions and vomiting. We have distributed chlorine tablets and ORS sachets in the area,” said a health official, who was part of one of the teams which visited Ramgarh and interacted with the residents.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, a woman said, “I had been experiencing pain in the stomach for over 10 days. Initially, I started vomiting and experienced loose motions, following which I had to be admitted to hospital. The drinking water we are getting in our homes is stinking. It must be contaminated.”

The village also reported three deaths in the past 10 days, but according to Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg, no death can be attributed to diarrhoea. “As per our reports, there are only three active cases of diarrhoea in Ramgarh. Health officials are on the ground for the past two days and everything has been taken care of,” he claimed. The health officials have told the villagers to treat drinking water with chlorine or boil it properly before consumption.

3rd such case in Panchkula district this year

• In May this year, over 400 residents of Budhanpur got infected with diarrhoea
• The first case was reported on May 24; by July 4, the number shot up to 444; an infant died
• In April, 138 fell ill with diarrhoea in Sec 5 of Mansa Devi Complex