West Bengal: Diarrhea outbreak in Kamarhati area, 78 hospitalized
What's the story
Seventy-eight people have been hospitalized with symptoms of diarrhea in the neighboring Kamarhati area of the North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, health department officials said.
Two elderly patients also died of similar symptoms, but Deputy Health Secretary, Ajay Chakrabarty, said that their deaths were due to renal failure and not due to the diarrhoeal outbreak.
Details
Condition of nine patients is critical
"Out of the 78 hospitalized at the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital, the condition of nine patients was stated to be very critical," the hospital authorities said.
Meanwhile, out of 78 people hospitalized, five are children.
Patients mostly from Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Kamarhati Municipality have been diagnosed with symptoms of diarrhea and hospitalized.
Details
Most patients were from densely populated areas of Kamarhati: Official
An official of the municipality told The Telegraph, "A preliminary probe by the health department of the municipality has revealed that most of the patients were from wards 1 to 5, including pockets such as Kamarhati Jute Mill, Mill Approach Road, and Bhootbagan."
"These are among the most densely populated areas of Kamarhati," the official added.
Infection
Water supposedly is to blame for the outbreak: Official
An official of the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital said, "There were at least nine persons who were brought to the hospital on Monday night."
"And today we are having a huge flow of patients with similar symptoms. We suspect that the infection is due to the water they have consumed," the official added.
Information
Most patients complained of acute pain in the abdomen: Doctors
Doctors at Sagore Dutta hospital who are treating diarrhea patients from Kamarhati told The Telegraph that most of the patients complained of acute pain in the abdomen and were vomiting.
Further details
Water samples have been sent for examination: Kamarhati Municipality coordinator
When contacted, Kamarhati Municipality coordinator Gopal Saha said that people have been asked to boil water before drinking.
"The disease seems to be water-borne. We have arranged water tanks for supplying water in the area. Water samples have been sent for examination and we have started making announcements to raise the awareness level of the residents here," Saha said.