Three persons, including two children, died and 68 fell ill following outbreak of gastroenteritis at Komalancha, Galibpur and Magdoompur villages in the mandal. The affected, mostly school students, were being treated at health camps set up at the villages.
The diseased were identified as Rishitha (4), daughter of Choudagari Sangameswar, Satyanarayana (7) of Annaram Kalan in Pitlam mandal and Gajula Sunitha (32) of Bujarampet in Koudipally mandal of Medak district. Rishitha and Satyanarayana died while undergoing treatment at Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad and Government General Hospital in Nizamabad respectively. Sunitha breathed her last at Area Hospital at Banswada.
According to District Medical and Health Officer Chandrasekhar, primary reports indicated that the villagers consumed contaminated water and ice cream and food made using the same water. They suffered vomiting and loose motions after eating food at a feast held at Yellammagudi on Sunday night. Sunitha, who died at Banswada hospital, had food at another feast organised at Magdoompur. The water samples were sent for testing. As the villages were getting drinking water through the Mission Bhagiratha, it was suspected that water supplied through pipes got mixed with drain water. However, MBS superintending engineer Rajendrakumar and executive engineer Chowdary Babu, who visited the villages, denied contamination, saying water was tested every day before supply.
Following the outbreak, water was being supplied through tankers to these villages.
Medical condition of the 68 people who were undergoing treatment for gastroenteritis, has become stable and they might be discharged on Wednesday. Senior officials from the State Health department have rushed to Kamareddy.
Students discharged
Special Correspondent writes from Medak:
Meanwhile, many of the about 60 students of Haveli Ghanapur Social Welfare Girls’ Hostel who were shifted to government hospital for treatment after falling ill in the past two days were discharged.
The students had complained of vomiting and diarrhoea. DMHO B. Venkateswara Rao said they suspected food poisoning.
