No outbreak of water, food or air borne disease in Uttarakhand

Maintaining that there was no outbreak of water, food or air borne disease in flood-hit Uttarakhand, Health Ministry said batch of 23 medical officers mobilised by CGHS was on its way to Dehradun.

New Delhi: Maintaining that there was no outbreak of water, food or air borne disease in any flood-hit area of Uttarakhand, the Health Ministry on Monday said the first batch of 23 medical officers mobilised by CGHS was on its way to Dehradun. More CGHS doctors from Lucknow and Kanpur would join them shortly, taking their total number to 40, an official statement said.

It said a 3-member team from NIMHANS, Bangalore, would join the first such team from IHBAS, Delhi, to extend psycho- social support to the victims. To ensure clean drinking water for residents of affected areas, 40 chloroscopes and a large quantity of reagents, sufficient to test up to 5,000 water samples have been sent and more Chloroscopes are being procured for delivery. "10 lakh chlorine tablets have been purchased for distribution. An additional request from the state authorities for 2 crore Chlorine tablets, 100 metric tonnes of bleaching powder and 3 lakh ORS packets is being processed," it said. A three-member team from the ministry comprising Director, Emergency Medical Response, Director, National Centre for Disease Control and Joint Director, National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme (NVBDCP) is stationed in Dehradun to assess the public health situation and coordinate with state authorities for assistance. The Director General Health Services and Additional Secretary (Health) have already visited Dehradun and have held extensive interaction with senior state functionaries to review the health situation there. Three teams of specialists from central government hospitals have been deployed to assist Uttarakhand government and more such teams of cardiologists, specialists and psychiatrists are being constituted for deployment there at short notice. PTI