District Administration Issues Advisory for prevention of water borne diseases

District Administration Issues Advisory for prevention of water borne diseases

District has 36 cases under treatment of Diarrhoea, says DC Ashika Jain

DC Mohali Exhorts Residents to intake Chlorinated or boiled water only

Nabaz-e-Punjab Bureau, Mohali, July 15, 2023:
In wake of surfacing of some cases of Diarrhea at Balongi and Barmajra, to protect the residents from Waterborne and Vector borne diseases, the district administration, today, issued a detailed advisory for the people. The district has 36 cases of Diarrhea under treatment, so far. Divulging details, the deputy commissioner, said that as flooded water and heavy rains have increased the apprehension of breaking out of Diarrhea so the residents should take precautions to prevent the disease.
Emphasising the intake of safe drinking water, she asked the people to use water from a safe source. “In case of any suspected contamination, use boiled water/packaged water/use of chlorine pallets (add 01 pallet of chlorine in 20 Litre of water which can be used after 30 minutes)”, she added. Insisting upon use of thoroughly washed drinking water containers, everyday, she prohibited to add clean and fresh water directly to stale or unwashed containers, as there is a grave risk of water contamination while doing so.
She appealed to call the district control room 0172-2219505 for provision of an alternate supply of water if water is contaminated in an area. Terming Hand Washing with soap and water before eating food and after using the washroom, most important these days, she said that the contact period between the soap and water should be 15-20 seconds. She asked to keep fingernails short and neat at all times. She further added that raw food materials such as fresh vegetables and fruits must be washed and cleaned thoroughly before cooking/consuming and strictly avoid eating raw and uncooked food. As the open defecation and urination is the direct source of contamination , so in order to prevent contamination of water sources, we should avoid this, she added.
She said as the weather is conducive to waterborne diseases, so one should must fight diarrhoea by fighting dehydration with oral rehydration salts (ORS) solution to treat diarrhoea effectively. The ORS is a mixture of clean water, salt and sugar that absorbs in the small intestine and replaces the water and electrolytes lost in the faeces. Similarly intake of Zinc supplements reduces the duration of a diarrhoea episode. n case of severe dehydration or shock, the rehydration method may be through intravenous fluids as suggested by the doctor as per the condition of the patient.
Advising intake of Nutrient-rich foods, she said the vicious circle of malnutrition and diarrhoea can be broken by continuing to give nutrient-rich foods including breast milk for new borne kids during an episode, and by giving a nutritious diet — including exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life — to children when they are well.
Asking to Consult doctor/ MPHW/ ASHA of your area, in particular for management of persistent diarrhoea or when there is blood in stool or if there are signs of dehydration.
Also, consult a doctor for fever with or without diarrhea and/or jaundice, said DC by adding that the treatment of diarrhea/ water borne diseases/ cholera is free in all Government Hospitals of the State.

The deputy commissioner added that the medical teams are on its toes to tackle the waterborne diseases and a series of camps have been arranged for early detection as a post floods measurement. Residents of Balongi and Budmajra have been provided with Tanker Supply of water for drinking purposes, she added. She said that the district has 19 cases at DH Mohali, 03 at CHC Kurali and 14 at Sub Divisional Hospital Derabassi while no case at CHC Kharar.