This story is from November 9, 2019

Government confirms outbreak of cholera in Nashik village

State health officials on Friday confirmed that the stomach illness that claimed lives of two persons and led to hospitalisation of over 130 residents of Savarpada village in Nashik district’s Kalwan taluka in October was due to cholera.
Government confirms outbreak of cholera in Nashik village
Representative image
PUNE: State health officials on Friday confirmed that the stomach illness that claimed lives of two persons and led to hospitalisation of over 130 residents of Savarpada village in Nashik district’s Kalwan taluka in October was due to cholera.
The officials have termed the incident as an outbreak of cholera. A multi-pronged approach to contain the disease spread has been on ever since people started falling ill in the village since the middle of October.
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Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhoea, which can lead to dehydration and, if untreated, even death.
The disease is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae.
“The scientists at Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) ruled out the presence of any virus behind the outbreak at Savarpada village. As per our laboratory-based investigation, it was cholera which affected a sizeable number of people in the village. The situation is currently under control,” state surveillance officer Pradip Awate told TOI.
Nashik district health officer Vijat Dekate said, “Two persons died and 132 people suffered moderate level of dehydration in Savarapada village since mid-October. There are no fresh cases now.”

Savarpada is a small village inhabited by 323 people at Kalwan taluka, about 90km from Nashik. Officials said water contamination from a ruptured drinking water pipeline was the cause of the infection.
“The drinking water pipeline, which draws water from a well and takes it to the storage tank, got leaked. Since it was raining, the muddy water got mixed with the drinking water pipeline resulting in the outbreak of the water-borne infection. We have fixed the leak and there are no fresh cases now,” Dekate said.
In May 2017, Pune city had reported a death caused by cholera. This was the first death of the disease reported in Pune district in the past seven years. A 70-year-old man, living in a housing society at Shivne, had succumbed to cholera-induced complications at Sanjeevan hospital in Erandwane on May 24.
“Micro-planning, regular review meetings of planned work and awareness about using bleaching powder to purify water are keys to reduce outbreaks of water-borne diseases,” health activist Sanjay Dabhade said.
In July last year, five people had died in different parts of Nashik district following an outbreak of diarrhoea in two villages. Cases of diarrhoea occasionally occur in villages of the district during the rainy season when well water gets contaminated with sewage.
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About the Author
Umesh Isalkar

Umesh Isalkar is principal correspondent at The Times of India, Pune. He has a PG degree in English literature and is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Umesh covers public health, medical issues, bio-medical waste, municipal solid waste management, water and environment. He also covers research in the fields of medicine, cellular biology, virology, microbiology, biotechnology. He loves music and literature.

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