Gandhinagar typhoid outbreak: Suspected cases rise to 108

The number of suspected typhoid infections linked to a leak in a water pipeline in Gandhinagar has risen to 108 Recently around 18 new suspected cases were reported officials said on MondayAs reported by PTI two patients undergoing treatment at Gandhinagar Civil Hospital died on Monday While the authorities clarified that neither death was linked to the typhoid outbreak the situation in Gandhinagar looks criticalAuthorities while clarifying about the typhoid outbreak caused by a leak in the water pipeline added that the issue of water contamination has now been fully resolved with multiple teams working on the groundGujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi further highlighted that Union Home Minister Amit Shah who represents the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency is closely monitoring the situation and conducted an early morning review over the phoneOn the other hand while emphasising the typhoid crisis during the press conference Dr Meeta Parikh Superintendent of Gandhinagar Civil Hospital stated At present 108 patients with suspected typhoid are admitted to our hospital including 18 new patients admitted today Of these 50 have tested Widal positive while 25 patients have been discharged after treatment The two deaths reported today were not linked to the typhoid outbreak as they occurred due to other causesrdquo as per PTIShe further added that several tests including the Widal test and blood culture analysis are being conducted on suspected patients to confirm typhoid infectionFurthermore blood samples from the two deceased patients have been sent for blood culture tests to determine whether their deaths were linked to typhoidTyphoid outbreak caused by leaking water pipelineThe outbreak of the waterborne disease has been reported from Sectors 24 and 28 as well as the Adivada area of Gandhinagar and was caused by a leaking water pipeline a few days ago according to the governmentThe district administration and the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation have formed teams to resolve the issue The water contamination problem has been completely addressed Yesterday 367 water samples were collected and all test results were satisfactoryHe further said that a team of 22 doctors including five MD specialists has been deployed to monitor and treat suspected patients reported PTIGujaratrsquos Deputy Chief Minister further added Everyone is receiving proper treatment Amit Shah is in direct contact with hospital authorities and speaks with the district collector daily He conducted an early morning review today to assess the situationrdquo as cited by news agency PTIAccording to medical experts a positive Widal test indicates that a person has developed antibodies against Salmonella Typhi or Salmonella Paratyphi which may suggest a current or past typhoid infection or recent vaccination However the test does not definitively confirm an active typhoid infectionThe government also asserted ldquoWith suspected cases being reported authorities started roundtheclock OPDs outpatient departments in the affected areas and food arrangements had been made for the relatives of those patients being treated in the Civil Hospitalrdquo as per PTIIntensive health management and survey work have been carried out in Gandhinagar city by 75 health teams in view of the suspected typhoid cases as per the release issued on Sunday The survey teams of Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation have so far inspected more than 20800 houses and covered more than 90000 peopleChlorine tablets and ORS packets were distributed as a preventive measureAs a preventive measure 30000 chlorine tablets and 20600 ORS packets have been distributedThe survey teams are distributing awareness leaflets by contacting people from house to house and asking them to boil water not to eat outside food and to keep their hands clean reported PTIThe Gujarat government further said ldquoThe process of lsquosuper chlorinationrsquo of water has been accelerated to control the spread of the disease and the amount of chlorination in drinking water is also being checkedrdquo Some leakages found in the pipeline in the diseaseaffected areas have also been repaired on an immediate basis they addedWith inputs from PTI