Southern States - Karnataka   

Two die of gastro-enteritis, 28 hospitalised

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE OCT. 14. Twenty eight people from Andhra Colony, Vyalikaval, Bangalore, are suffering from gastro-enteritis after drinking contaminated water. Of these, a five-year-old child, admitted to K.C.General Hospital, is down with "suspected'' cholera. While 24 people are under treatment in K.C.General Hospital, four have been admitted to the Epidemic Diseases Hospital.

Mohan (22) and Sulochana (50) died on Tuesday morning after what is described as an attack of gastro-enteritis. However, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) officials said only Mohan had an attack of gastro-enteritis while Sulochana had died of cirrhosis of the liver.

The palike maintained that there was only one case of gastro-enteritis (Mohan's) and that 10 others "with symptoms'' from Andhra Colony were referred to K.C.General Hospital.

The colony residents claimed that 44 people were ill. But when The Hindu team went to K.C.General Hospital, it found that 24 people had been admitted. The Superintendent of the Hospital, Shalini B.K., told The Hindu that stools samples of Karthik (5), had tested positive for cholera. An initial test was negative, but as the boy had continuous diarrhea, the test was conducted again. He would be sent to the Epidemic Diseases Hospital, she said. The condition of two young children was serious but they tested negative for cholera, Dr. Shalini added.

Four persons have been admitted to the Epidemic Diseases Hospital. Asked if they had an attack of cholera, H.M.Veeresh Sharma, medical officer, said that could be confirmed after tests. The hospital usually treated 20 to 25 gastro-enteritis cases a day, he added.

Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chairman, M.N.Vidyashankar, who was at the spot, denied any contamination from water supplied by the board.

Water in the six public taps there, was tested on October 7 and it had more than sufficient chlorine content, he said. When pointed out that pipes in the colony were corroded, Mr. Vidyashankar said those did not belong to BWSSB.

About 80 families live in Andhra Colony where the Karnataka Charma Karmikara Sanghatane is active.

The sanghatane said all of them were from Scheduled Castes. They were poor and worked as cobblers. They wanted an enquiry into the incident and Rs. one lakh compensation to the families of the deceased.

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