Srinagar, Aug 27: Sending alarm bells ringing in Kashmir, the deadly cholera disease has broken out in central Kashmir’s district Budgam. While doctors at the SKIMS Medical College here confirmed having received 26 cases of cholera, which can kill within hours if left untreated, hundreds of people from different Budgam villages have been complaining of dehydration, abdominal pain, and vomiting—symptoms of the disease believed to have spread due to use of contaminated drinking water. However, so far no death has been reported.
Shockingly, the government is trying to downplay the grave health concern saying the disease was only “gastroenteritis” with few cholera cases.
Well placed sources in the SKIMS Medical College told Greater Kashmir that the institute had received more than 250 cases with patients complaining of diarrhoea, severe dehydration and abdominal pain. Hundreds of similar cases have been reported in the district hospital Budgam and in its peripheral medical institutes for past two weeks.
“Of the cases received by the SKIMS College 25 were confirmed to be cholera after proper investigation. Some of the patients were admitted in the institute for few days while others were discharged after prescribing treatment. Presently 50 patients including two cholera patients are getting treatment in the institute,” sources said.
Sources maintained the hospital administration had strict direction from the state health department not to disclose anything about the illness to avoid international attention.
“If such (25) is the number of cases it clearly shows that it is an impending epidemic. The government should immediately report the issue to the World Health Organization, which is an international obligation,” said a doctor, wishing not to be named.
Sources said villages from where the cases had been reported included Khag, Soibugh, Arizal Wadwan Reyar, Waterhaal, Kralnaar, Hardpanzu, and Sholipora and even Pattan. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary, SS Kapoor, who took a review meeting of the situation today, said the matter required an emergency response.
“I was told that things were not moving in a manner they should be and that is why I took the meeting to bring urgency into the response. The authorities concerned from health, PHE and district administration have assured me of taking every possible measure to check the disease,” Kapoor said.
However he claimed that only few cases of cholera had been reported.
District Commissioner, Muhammad Rafi said the administration had been put in the emergency mode.
“Since August 16 more than 2,000 cases complaining of vomiting, diarrhoea have been reported from different villages of district. One case of cholera was reported from a village, Naslapor today,” he said.
On government response to provide clean drinking water to the affected areas, Rafi said, “the inadequate supply of clean drinking water to many villages was a major concern.”
He said out of 71 filtration plants only 22 were functional in the entire district, implying that less than 30 percent population was receiving filtered water. “Another concern for the district administration is that in some villages, the streams and Nallah are the main source of drinking water.”
But he said the administration had been quick to respond. “We have set up camp hospitals in the affected areas besides mobile medical teams have been constituted to provide treatment to people in their respective villages.”
However expressing concern, doctors said the priority for the government should be to make people aware about the disease and ensure treatment and clean drinking water supply not only to the affected areas but the places far off from them.
“If the stool of an infected person passes into the water source used for drinking purpose by people in same or other areas, people especially children become vulnerable to the disease,” the doctor said.
Interestingly in many villages of Budgam the main source of drinking water is usually a stream or Nallah.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST