Asia-Pacific Daily Report

According to Asian News International (ANI), residents in several districts in India's West Bengal state are battling an outbreak of diarrhea in the aftermath of Cyclone Aila, which hit in late May. At least 275 people were killed and hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed after Aila hit parts of coastal Bangladesh and West Bengal on May 25. So far diarrhea has killed 28 people and some 85,000 cases have been reported from across West Bengal. Health officials have reportedly disinfected over 7,000 tube-wells and around 15,000 liters of drinking water pouches are being distributed in affected areas each day. According to ANI, Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS), Halazone tablets and bleaching powder solution are also being distributed. The government has deployed 375 medical teams to deal with the outbreak and non-governmental organizations and international agencies such as the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) are providing aid to over 50,000 families, ANI reported. "After Aila a major challenge was to combat waterborne diseases, which could have come out like the diarrhea cases. The state and UNICEF are responding to lessen the impact of these cases," ANI quoted Anil Gulati, a spokesperson for the local UNICEF office, as saying. Meanwhile, in India's Punjab province, the total number of people with cholera symptoms passed the 300 mark in Dera Bassi on July 13, the Indian Express reported. According to the newspaper, Senior Medical Officer Dr. Ram Kumar said that a total of 207 cases were reported over three days of which 60 were admitted to the hospital while the rest were discharged after treatment. He added that medical teams are conducting a door-to-door awareness campaign. Separately, in Mumbai (Bombay), 3 people, including 2 children, have reportedly tested positive for cholera but officials said on Sunday (July 19), that only one of the patients had cholera and had been transferred to the infectious diseases specialty at Kasturba Hospital in Chinchpokhli, the Times News Network (TNN) reported. Local doctors have reportedly been visiting the slum area where the patients are from since July 18 and are also testing people. Water tankers were also supplying fresh water to the slum, the TNN reported. Chlorine tablets were being distributed for free, the Indian Express reported. Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by the infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is a highly contagious water-borne disease that is mainly transmitted through contaminated water and food. Symptoms include severe diarrhea that can easily lead to dehydration and can be fatal if not treated immediately. The bacterial disease is both preventable and treatable under normal circumstances.

Source:

· http://news.oneindia.in/2009/07/18/waterbornediseases-rise-in-west-bengal.html

· http://www.indianexpress.com/news/112-more-cholera-cases-reported/488591/

· http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/City/Mumbai/Only-one-cholera-case-says-B...

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