Health authorities in Indore have detected 20 new diarrhoea cases after screening more than 9,000 residents amid an outbreak linked to contaminated drinking water in the city’s Bhagirathpura area, officials said on Sunday (4 Jan).
During the ongoing door-to-door survey, health teams examined 9,416 people from 2,354 households in the affected locality, where six deaths have officially been attributed to polluted water. The screening led to the identification of 20 additional patients.
Officials said a total of 398 people have been hospitalised since the outbreak began. Of these, 256 patients have recovered and been discharged, while 142 remain under treatment. Eleven of the admitted patients are currently in intensive care units (ICUs).
Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Madhav Prasad Haasani said a team from the Kolkata-based National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections (NIRBI), an institution affiliated with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has reached Indore to investigate the outbreak. The experts are extending technical assistance to the state health department to help contain the spread.
While the district administration has confirmed six deaths due to consumption of contaminated water, Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava had earlier stated on January 2 that information pointed to 10 fatalities linked to the outbreak. Meanwhile, local residents claim the death toll is higher, alleging that 16 people, including a six-month-old infant, have died due to the diarrhoea outbreak.