Shah orders swift action as typhoid cases rise in Gandhinagar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the administration in Gandhinagar city to work on a war footing amid the emergence of nearly 100 cases of suspected typhoid, the Gujarat Government said.

Due to leakage in a water pipeline, cases of suspected typhoid, a water-borne disease, were reported in Sectors 24, 28, and the Adivada area of Gandhinagar city a few days ago, the State Government said in a release on Sunday.

Shah has ordered the immediate repair of the pipeline, it said.

So far, 113 cases of suspected typhoid have been detected in the State capital.

Of these, 19 patients have been discharged after treatment, while 94 are currently being treated in Gandhinagar Civil Hospital as well as health centres of Sectors 24 and 29, said the release, adding that their condition is stable.

Round-the-clock OPDs (outpatient departments) have been started in the affected areas, and food arrangements have been made for the relatives of those patients being treated in the Civil Hospital, it said.

Shah, a Lok Sabha member from Gandhinagar, has been in constant touch with Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi, District Collector and Municipal Commissioner to take updates about the current situation, said the release.

The Union Minister has also instructed officials to work on a war footing to tackle the situation, it said.

On Sunday, Shah held a telephonic discussion with officials of the Health Department and asked them to ensure that children and citizens affected by typhoid get prompt and accurate treatment, the release said.

He also instructed the officials to provide food to the affected patients and their relatives at Gandhinagar Civil Hospital. He further ordered the immediate repair of the leakage and intensive inspection of the pipeline in the affected as well as surrounding areas to prevent further spread of the disease, it said.

Intensive health management and survey work have been carried out in Gandhinagar city by 75 health teams in view of the suspected typhoid cases, as per the release.

The survey teams of Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation have so far inspected more than 20,800 houses and covered more than 90,000 people. As a preventive measure, 30,000 chlorine tablets and 20,600 ORS packets have been distributed, said the release.

The survey teams are distributing awareness leaflets by contacting people from house to house and asking them to boil water, not to eat outside food and keep their hands clean.

The process of “super chlorination” of water has been accelerated to control the spread of the disease, and the amount of chlorination in drinking water is also being checked, the release said. Some leakages which were found in the pipeline in the disease-affected areas have also been repaired on an immediate basis, it added.