Even as rescue operations continue in Uttarakhand, the rescue and relief teams had a new problem to struggle with. The continuing bad weather has not only hindered rescue operations, but has also led to the outbreak of epidemic in the region becoming a real fear.
Hundreds of people from local villages have been reporting to medical camps set up by the armed forces reporting symptoms of fever, diarrhoea and vomiting. High temperature and gastro-intestinal infections have been reported by at least 3000 people on Monday and Tuesday in Ramnagar, a tiny village near Guptkashi in Kedarnath valet. Three ITBP men have also reported sick.
The outbreak of illnesses is being traced back to possible water contamination due to the high number of casualties. Many villagers depend on natural spring water for their drinking water needs. “There are so many bodies across the Kedarnath valley that it is not surprising that their decay is causing contamination of water. It needs to be contained now or we could have a bigger problem at hand,” an ITBP official said to the Times of India. Mass cremations which are the need of the hour over, have however been delayed over the past few days because of bad weather.
The ITBP, NDRF and armed forces have set up medical camps in order to help victims with medicines. Besides this, the Centre is sending a high-level team comprising doctors and specialists to Uttarakhand to review public health initiatives.
The situation hasn’t led to panic in the government yet because there is no outbreak of water/air-borne or direct contact diseases yet. Hopefully the problem will be contained since officials say that it has been intercepted in an incipient stage. Local medical teams have been told about the diarrhea cases occurring in places like Haridwar, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag. “Under no circumstances can we allow an outbreak of an epidemic,” senior disaster management official KN Pandey told INN.
The Union Health Ministry has deputed a high-level team which will review the public health measures in the state. The ministry said it was monitoring the situation and has initiated a few steps for relief operations that include posting of three central public health teams in the state. Eight additional teams are also kept on standby, ready to move at short notice,” a Health Ministry statement said. It added that district units of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), NRHM is conducting health surveillance in all affected districts of the flood-hit state.
Along with these precautions, a specialist from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme has been deputed with the state government to assist on medical matters. Cardiology, psychiatry and internal medicine specialists have also been placed with the state government.
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