Shabir Dar
Jammu, Sep 1: After two gastroenteritis deaths in Doda and one in Budgam, Health Minister, Sham Lal Sharma on Wednesday said that the epidemic graph is coming down in the state and the situation is under control.
He, however, admitted government’s failure of providing quality drinking water to people, as contaminated water supply was the main cause behind the spread of epidemic in five districts of the state.
“Government is taking every possible preventive measure to stop the further spread of the epidemic and we have brought the situation under control. Until now, 5243 people suffered the gastroenteritis attack in five districts of the state, out of which 4352 patients were treated and discharged in various government hospitals. 119 patients are still admitted in the hospitals,” the health minister said, addressing a press conference here today.
The five districts which are in the grip of gastroenteritis are Doda, Ramban (Banihal), Budgam, Kupwara and Bandipora. However, Doda and Budgam are worst affected.
For providing quality drinking water to the people, Sharma said that government is taking long term policy measures which will reduce the occurrence of water borne disease to minimum. “I have discussed the policy measures with the Chief Minister. These measures would be the preventive measures of supplying quality drinking water so as to check the water borne diseases,” he said.
“We are thinking of adopting an umbrella mechanism, in which various departments and agencies responsible for public health will work together so that occurrences of such epidemics could be stopped in future,” health minister added.
In order to fix the responsibility of the present outbreak of gastroenteritis, the health minister said investigations of finding the actual cause behind the epidemic is going on. “Initially, 30 percent sampling of all the water schemes will be taken. Then it would be identified where has been the laxity in deliverance. Then the problem will be fixed and appropriate action would be taken,” he said.
Meanwhile, the health minister ruled out any case of dengue in the Jammu and said that the earlier case which was confused as a dengue case was actually a case of cholera. He said that the health wing of the Municipal Corporation has been geared up to prevent the outbreak of dengue and malaria in the twin cities of Hammu and Srinagar. In Jammu, the JMC health wing in collaboration with the Health Department has launched a thermal fogging and spray drive for 18 days. While the spray drive is being conducted during the daytime, thermal fogging is being conducted at night, he said.
