Diarrhoea in Vijayawada: water sample reports expected in two days, say analysts

A week after the outbreak of diarrhoea in New Rajarajeswari Peta in Vijayawada, reports of water samples, which were sent for microbiological testing on Saturday, are still awaited. it may take two days more for the reports to arrive, water analysts say.

As of Tuesday, the total reported cases stood at 333, while the number of people undergoing treatment for diarrhoea is 34. Out of them, 26 people have been admitted to the new Government General Hospital (GGH) while the rest are being treated at the old GGH.

“All patients are stable and no deaths have been reported so far,” said NTR District Collector G. Lakshmisha, adding that timely intervention and constant ‘tracking and testing’ procedure has yielded a good result.

Explaining why diarrhoea cases peak during the monsoon, Rajesh Bathini, a consultant in the medical gastroenterology department of Manipal Hospital, Vijayawada, says high humidity and intermittent rain create the perfect conditions for food and water contamination.

The monsoon diarrhoea symptoms may be indicative of a spectrum of infections ranging from bacterial to parasitic to viral. Most common forms of stomach infection are viral gastroenteritis, bacterial gastroenteritis, parasitic infection such as giardiasis and amebiasis, and H. pylori infection, he says.

To stay safe during monsoons, one should use boiled, filtered, or bottled water and avoid consuming street foods, raw salads and chutneys. Hand washing etiquette should be followed before eating. Fruits should be peeled before consuming, he said.