Indian Express
25 August 2010
Panchkula, India

THE authorities have finally woken up in the wake of the rising cases of typhoid in the township. More than 43 cases of typhoid have been reported in the last one week at General Hospital, Sector 6, forcing them to gear up to handle the situation.

These cases have been reported from urban as well as rural areas and the figures are on similar lines as previous week’s when about 45 cases of typhoid had surfaced. Diarrhea too is on the rise as nearly 40 cases have been reported in the past three days alone. Doctors blame it on rains and contamination of water. As a combat measure, the hospital has decided to crackdown on colonies which, they claim is the breeding ground for these diseases. Teams of health officials have been visiting various colonies every fortnight to assess the situation. The main colonies including Rajiv, Indira and Azad Colony are the ones that the hospital is keeping a close watch on.

Doctors claimed that consumption of contaminated water is the major cause of typhoid and jaundice. To prevent the same, health officials have also been distributing tablets of potassium permanganate to colony dwellers and getting the area cleaned every fortnight.

They also claim to have tied up with HUDA for chlorination of water in these areas. "These people live in extremely unhygienic conditions which leads to them falling ill. Most of the water that they consume is not potable. We have decided to increase the frequency of our visits to the colonies once in a week now. We would also take steps to ensure that these people consume clean water," said Dr. Rakesh Choudhary, chief medical officer.

The hospital has also been conducting surprise raids on those selling cut–fruits in the open. Doctors said that eating these fruits was a major cause of jaundice as they were contaminated with flies and germs. Choudhary advised residents to restrain themselves from eating out till the rains got over.