The Hindu : Karnataka News : Manipal hospital area declared cholera affected

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 26, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Manipal hospital area declared cholera affected

By Our Staff Correspondent

UDUPI, JUNE 25. The Deputy Commissioner, S.R. Umashankar, on Friday issued a notification declaring 500 metres around the Kasturba Hospital in Manipal as "cholera affected''.

Mr. Umashankar told presspersons here that cholera cases were being reported from places around the hospital. Shambhu Bhat (71) of Balehonnur in Chikmagalur district, who had come to the hospital for cancer treatment, died of cholera a few days ago. Thirty cases of cholera had been reported so far. They included 14 persons from Udupi district, six from Shimoga district and three each from Chikmagalur district and Calicut and Kannur districts in Kerala. Of them, 12 were the employees of the hospital.

He said a team comprising the District Health Officer, the District Communicable Diseases Surveillance Officer and the Municipal Commissioner had inspected the affected areas and conducted tests. The results revealed that water supplied in the hospital had 25 microbes per 100 ml, which was more than the permissible level. The hospital got water from the municipality, a borewell and tankers. While the first two sources were not contaminated, the third contained microbes more than permissible level. Water supply through tankers had been stopped.

The District Health Officer had submitted a report to him and the Pollution Control Board stating that biomedical waste was being dumped at End Point and it might contaminate the Swarna. He had directed the board to take action in this regard, the Deputy Commissioner said.

He said no new cases of cholera had been reported in the past two days.

Meanwhile, the MLA, K. Raghupati Bhat, on Friday stressed the need for effective steps to prevent the spread of cholera.

Speaking after inaugurating a malaria information camp here, he said the disease was spreading to the Parkala area from Manipal. He called for creating greater awareness on the disease among the people.

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