Indore water contamination: 142 patients in hospitals; 20 new diarrhoea cases found

INDORE: (Jan 5) As many as 142 persons are currently hospitalised, including 11 in ICUs, amid an outbreak of diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water in Indore, while 20 new patients were detected during screening of over 9,000 people in the Bhagirathpura area, the ground zero of infection.

Health teams examined 9,416 individuals from 2,354 households during an ongoing survey in Bhagirathpura, where six persons have lost their lives due to contaminated water, and identified 20 fresh cases, officials said on Sunday.

According to officials, 398 patients had been admitted to hospitals so far following the outbreak. Of them, 256 patients have been discharged after recovery.

They stated that 142 patients are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals, including 11 admitted to ICUs.

The outbreak is under control now, they added.

Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Madhav Prasad Haasani said a team from the Kolkata-based National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections (NIRBI) has arrived in Indore to probe the health crisis.

He said experts from NIRBI are providing technical support to the health department to contain the outbreak.

The administration has confirmed six deaths so far. Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava had put the death toll at 10, whereas locals claimed that 16 persons, including a six-month-old child, died due to the diarrhoea outbreak.

Amid the outrage over deaths, the Congress staged bell-ringing protests across Madhya Pradesh demanding the resignation of senior minister Kailash Vijayvargiya over the usage of the word "ghanta" while responding to reporters' questions about the developments in Indore.