Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 22: Three fresh cases of gastroenteritis have been reported from the Anantnag district’s Srigufwara, bringing the total number of cases to 183 in one of the major outbreaks.
Officials told Excelsior that the cases from the affected villages have decreased due to the necessary precautions taken and extensive IEC activities.
“Today, we received three fresh cases, which is lower than what we saw in the last two days; chlorination of water was done, and door-to-door surveys were carried out as a preventive measure,” the officials said.
Officials further stated that the Health Department has been managing the outbreak for the last few days, with 180 people presenting with symptoms of gastroenteritis until July 21, out of which 121 needed to be admitted for a short stay.
“Extensive IEC activities have been undertaken, and people have been made aware of SOPs through regular miking and door-to-door campaigns in the affected villages,” an official said.
A spokesperson for the Health Department said that the chlorination of water sources has been done, and water samples have been collected for investigation to understand the cause of the outbreak.
Block Medical Officer (BMO) Sallar, Dr. Zahoor Ahmad, told Excelsior that results of the six samples collected are expected tomorrow.
“Nearly 400 households have been reached through door-to-door campaigns by the Health Department, and more than 2,000 units of ORS have been distributed among them,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier, as per the directions of the Secretary of Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad Rather, visited the gastroenteritis-affected villages of Health Block Sallar to assess the situation.
Accompanied by Chief Medical Officer Anantnag and BMO Sallar, Dr. Rather expressed satisfaction with the overall management of the outbreak.
Dr. Rather appreciated the medical staff for their outstanding efforts in controlling the situation and appealed to the public to follow the SOPs conveyed by health teams.
He emphasized the importance of using only boiled water to prevent further cases.
Officials said that the Secretary of H&ME is personally monitoring the situation and is in constant touch with officials regarding the outbreak.
Notably, the cases were reported from the area during the intervening night of July 19-20, prompting the necessary precautions from the authorities.
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