Jaundice outbreak in several Pulwama villages

Pulwama, Apr 15: Nearly three dozen cases of jaundice have been reported from several villages in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

The most affected villages include Arigam, Below, Drach, and Uthmulla.

A medical official said that 21 cases were reported from Arigam, eight from Belov, three from Drach, and one from Uthmulla.

The official said that the presence of Coliform bacteria in the water was responsible for the outbreak of such diseases. In March, Belov emerged as an epicentre of the disease with the village reporting nearly a dozen jaundice cases.

“The resurgence of cases in the village has become a huge cause of concern for us,” said a local.

The residents from the affected villages said that the disease had mostly attacked the children.

“Some of the affected children had to be referred to tertiary pediatric hospital in Srinagar for specialised treatment,” they said.

Abdul Rashid Hajam, whose daughter has been admitted to Children Hospital Srinagar, said that she contracted jaundice and was initially admitted at District Hospital Pulwama.

“However, when she did not show any signs of improvement, doctors sent her to Srinagar,” said Hajam.

Sehran Ahmad of Uthmulla said that the contaminated water supplied to the village was the cause of a jaundice outbreak in the area.

“In the absence of a filtration plant, the residents are forced to consume the turbid water which led to the outbreak of such water-borne diseases,” Ahmad said.

Chief Medical Officer, Pulwama, Dr Tahmeena advised the people to consume boiled or chlorinated water to stave off the spread of the disease.