Increase in diseases, but no epidemics

While the doctors manning different Out Patients Departments in the S S G Hospital held that against a dozen routine cases of gastro-enteric ailments, the medicine department was now registering about 20 almost daily. The Infectious Diseases Hospital, Karelibaug, too said that against the average 50 cases during May-end, it had admitted about 80 cases so far while the maximum were from Harni, Warasia and Hathikhana areas. 8220;Yet, there was no epidemic as such as all the cases were scattered8221;, hospital incharge B B Patel.

The Panchayat department8217;s epidemic officer Mini Joshipura said that though scattered cases from almost all the villages in all the 12 talukas were coming to her centres, there was not a single outbreak of any type of epidemic till date. She, however, confirmed the season8217;s first death due to diarrhoea in Pavijetpur taluka recently.

About the three city areas, Vadodara Municipal Corporation health officer D D Pathak said that his teams had recently initiated inspection of localities of Ward 2 and were zeroing on the contaminated water sources. It was still on, he said and added that since there were no cases in group, an epidemic could not be established.

Dr Kamal Jain, chief medical officer at an ESI dispensary at Pratapnagar and secretary of the Vadodara unit of Indian Medical Association IMA also confirmed a distinct rise in the cases, but insisted it was as high as expected during the season. He advised people not consume spoilt and contaminated edible items.

Dr V M Shah, deputy regional director, Health, who supervises 200 primary health centres, 34 community health centres and 7 civil hospitals of Bharuch, Panchmahals and Vadodara districts, admitted to a slight increase but highlighted recent health drives 8212; Jivan Raksha Yatra and Clean and Healthy Gujarat 8212; and said his staff was educating patients about hygiene and proper eating habits.