Health Minister sounds alert amid diarrhoeal outbreak in Jaggaiahpeta, Kakinada

Health Minister sounds alert amid diarrhoeal outbreak in Jaggaiahpeta, Kakinada. Twenty-one new cases reported on single day, taking the count to 67 in Jaggaiahpeta mandal. In Kakinada, 148 cases reported from three villages due to pollution of a lake, a source of drinking water.

In view of the diarrhoeal outbreak in Jaggaiahpeta mandal, Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education Y. Satya Kumar Yadav on June 23 (Sunday) visited the Community Health Centre at Jaggaiahpeta and enquired about the health of the patients undergoing treatment there.

Twenty-one new cases of diarrhoea were reported on the day, taking the count to 67 in the mandal, officials from the Health Department said.

The number of confirmed deaths was one, they said, adding that while five deaths had been reported, they all had comorbid conditions.

Meanwhile, more than 100 diarrhoea cases had also been reported from Kakinada, officials said.

“We understand that it is our utmost responsibility to protect people. That is why officials of different departments have been put on alert and are working together to bring the situation under control,” Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav said, adding that Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan had already held a review meeting on the issue.

The Minister said that water contamination appeared to be the chief cause for all cases reported in NTR, Kakinada and Guntur districts since the beginning of the monsoon.

“Poor sanitation, lack of cleaning of distributary channels, leakages leading to cross contamination of pipelines are to be blamed. The sad state of affairs reflects the poor management of funds in the past five years,” the Minister said, adding that the TDP-led NDA government was working on long-term solution to the problem.