Report confirms K Salundi villager died of cholera

The test report of 24-year-old Kanakaraju of K Salundi village, who died on Tuesday, has shown him positive for cholera. 

Meanwhile, the number of people, who have fallen ill at the village, has increased from 68 on Tuesday to 95 - including 22 children - on Wednesday. Thirty-seven of them, including six children, have been admitted at the District Hospital and eight in private hospitals in Mysuru district, according to district health officer Dr P C Kumaraswamy.

He said that they have considered it be a cholera outbreak in the village, going by the symptoms and with one case confirmed positive for cholera. 

The health department officials are following the protocol to treat cholera at the temporary clinic established in the village. Besides providing ORS to the households, they are giving IV line fluids to patients at the clinic. Six doctors, six staff nurses, three community health officers, three health inspectors continue to treat the patients at the clinic, and they have stationed three ambulances, Dr Kumaraswamy said. 

Cause

Meanwhile, assistant engineer of Bogadi Town Panchayat Harsha said that the MUDA had built a UGD line recently and it was not connected to the sewage septic tank. Following the rain recently, the sewage water, which overflew from this UGD line and remained stagnant seem to have percolated to the water of borewell 1 and it seem to have been contaminated. This borewell 1 was connected to seven small tanks (thonbes). This water was supposed to be used only for washing clothes. But, people had used it for drinking.

However, the lab report of the water sample is awaited. There was another borewell 2, which was connected to overhead tank, and through this the water was supplied for drinking. This water was not contaminated. However, they have stopped the supply of water of both borewells and are providing water to people in tankers, he said. 

District In-charge Minister H C Mahadevappa visited K Salundi and consoled the family members of Kanakaraju and said that the government would provide a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to them. 

State-level health officials, including Director Dr D N Srinivasa, Project Director, RCH (Reproductive Child Health), Dr Triveni, and Joint Director CMD Dr Rajani visited the village. DC Dr K V Rajendra visited the patients at the district hospital.

Precautions

In the wake of cholera outbreak at K Salundi, DC Dr Rajendra and ZP CEO K M Gayathri held a meeting with officers of all taluks of Mysuru district and Mysuru City Corporation, and directed them to pay attention to leakages of water pipelines, to ensure sewage water doesn’t get mixed with drinking water; keep checking the samples of drinking water supplied.

Dr Rajendra even directed them to reserve five beds at all taluk hospitals, to treat patients related to diarrhea as water borne diseases are likely to occur during rainy season. In case of any water issues, people can call: 0821-252 6355 or 0821-2423800, 1077.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will visit the village on Thursday.