Karnataka Health Dept says six cholera cases in 2024, no outbreak

Bengaluru: Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department on Friday said that six confirmed cases of cholera have been reported in the state so far this year of which five were reported in March.

Amid reports that extreme heat compounded with the water crisis has led to a scare of a cholera outbreak, the department however clarified that all these cases are 'sporadic' and that there was no outbreak.

"In January, February, March and April -- there were two cases in Bengaluru Urban which was confirmed as cholera after the culture test. In the BBMP limits, there were three cases. One case in Malleshwaram was reported, but the culture report has come as negative. One case in Ramanagara district. So totally six cholera cases have been confirmed," Health & Family Welfare Department Commissioner D Randeep said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, the last outbreak in the state was in December last year, when 15 cases of cholera were reported in Bengaluru Rural district's Hoskote.

Terming reports about a 50 per cent rise in cholera cases and that such cases are being reported in hospitals everyday as 'far from truth', the Commissioner said that there is no basis for it, and only 'culture tests' can confirm cholera cases.

Drinking contaminated water or without boiling it and consumption of outside food may lead to diarrheal conditions, he said, adding that not all such cases can be considered as cholera.