Nagpur: A sudden spike in cases of water-borne diseases has raised alarm in the Health Department prompting Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to issue an advisory asking the citizens to remain alert.
In the month of April and May, when the temperature sees a surge, diarrhoea and gastro cases also record an increase to 106 and 150 respectively. With the monsoon round the corner, the issue of contamination of water has become common. Hence, officials of the Health Department have asked citizens to take necessary precautions.
At the start of the year 2024, the cases of diarrhoea and gastro were recorded but the numbers were low. In the month of January, 63 such cases were reported, followed by 39 in February and 64 in March. So, the sudden rise in the cases in April and May has left Health Department officials worried. NMC explained that though the rise in waterborne cases during summer months was in contrast to rise in temperatures, the culprit was consumption of contaminated water.
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To counter the heat, citizens tend to rely on ice-creams, kulfis, lemon water, sugarcane, and other assorted cold drinks sold by the roadside vendors wherein use of contaminated water is suspected. Sold at a comparatively low price, people tend to consume these items very often to beat the summer heat. This is the reason for the spike in diarrhoea and gastro cases as the ice and other material made from suspected contaminated water by the vendors. During monsoon, surface water at times gets contaminated and its consumption sees an increase in water-borne diseases.
Even otherwise, during monsoon several water-borne diseases increase. One particular worry during monsoon is stagnant water wherein mosquito breeding increases manifold. Also, water coolers are still used by the citizens as the monsoon has been delayed thereby making them susceptible to becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Hence the Health Department has advised citizens to take maximum precautions to ensure that they do not suffer loose motion, jaundice and at times vomiting due to an upset stomach.
The drinking water should be purified or boiled and cooled before consumption. Similarly citizens should strictly avoid unhygienic food and items and more particularly one that is open and kept on streets. On receipt of information about the outbreak of any water borne disease, a team of the Health Department carried out a survey in the particular residential locality. During the survey the entire house and neighbourhood is closely inspected and preventive spraying of medicine is carried out.
Samples of water are collected and sent to the laboratory to determine its quality and the citizens are issued instructions on diet to be followed during monsoon. Apart from gastro, about 11 cases of jaundice too have been reported till end of May 2024. Of them 10 were reported in the month of January itself and one in the month of April.
Even cases of Malaria have surfaced in the city and till May about 53 were recorded and with maximum 18 in the month of March followed by 17 in April. As per the advisory, the Health Department has asked citizens to use drinking water coming from NMC through the taps. Avoid using water from borewell or open well one which is not treated. Avoid consumption of stale food and one which is kept in the open for long, especially the food items that are sold on push carts at various thoroughfares.
In case water is contaminated people should sprinkle chlorine tablets and it’s ratio should be one table for 200 litres of water. The Health Department has also readied its machinery in civic run hospitals where free treatment is provided to people afflicted with gastro, said a note issued by Dr Deepak Selokar, Medical Health Officer, NMC.
