Srikakulam: At least 19 persons were taken ill following a suspected diarrhoea outbreak within the Srikakulam Municipal Corporation limits on Monday.
Residents of Kaki Veedhi, Dammala Veedhi, Gudi Veedhi and Manguvari Thota developed symptoms over the past 24 hours and are currently undergoing treatment at the Government General Hospital (GGH) and a few private and corporate hospitals. Officials said all patients are stable.
District Collector Swapnil Dinkar visited the affected localities, interacted with residents and assured them of the best possible medical care. Preliminary reports suggest that the outbreak may have been caused by contaminated drinking water, possibly due to drainage water mixing with the municipal supply.
As a precautionary measure, the Collector advised residents not to consume municipal tap water for the next two days and to discard any stored water. The municipal corporation has arranged tanker water supply to the affected areas and advised people to use bottled water if necessary.
The administration has set up a special ward for diarrhoea patients at the GGH. Treatment expenses for patients admitted to private and corporate hospitals are being covered under the NTR Vaidya Seva scheme, officials said. Residents have been instructed to boil drinking water before use and to immediately report any symptoms to the GGH or nearby primary health centres. Municipal and health department staff will camp in the affected areas to monitor the situation.
Meanwhile, MA&UD Minister P. Narayana reviewed the situation through a teleconference with the District Collector, the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) and the Municipal Commissioner. He directed officials to take urgent steps to contain the spread and to conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether contaminated water or food-related factors led to the outbreak.
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