Typhoid Fever on the Rise, Administration Remains Indifferent
Sri Ganganagar: The typhoid fever has taken hold in Shri Ganganagar, with over 500 patients visiting the local Community Health Centre (CHC) daily. Of these, around 40-50 patients are being admitted to the hospital every day.
Despite this, the administration and concerned departments seem to be in a state of slumber, with no concrete measures being taken to address the issue.
According to sources, over two dozen patients have been referred to the district headquarters for further treatment in the last month. However, the authorities are yet to take note of the situation seriously.
Many families in the area have been affected, with multiple members of the same family falling prey to the disease. Despite undergoing treatment for 15-20 days, many patients are not showing any signs of improvement.
The CHC in Shri Ganganagar is witnessing a surge in patients, with both its wards being fully occupied for the past three weeks. The hospital's 25 beds are being shared by two patients each, leading to an added burden on the medical staff.
Locals Blame Contaminated Water
The sudden spurt in typhoid cases has created panic in the area. While the hospital authorities attribute the disease to factors like contaminated water, food, and the environment, locals are convinced that the root cause is the contaminated water supply.
Dr Jitendra Bogiya, the in-charge of the CHC, said that while CRP and Widal tests are coming out positive, the pattern of the disease does not match that of typhoid. He added that a few cases of typhoid have been identified, but the number is relatively low compared to the total number of fever patients.
Administration in Slumber
Despite the gravity of the situation, the administration, health department, and water supply department seem to be unaware of the issue. No concrete steps have been taken in the last month to address the problem.
When queried, SDM Shyoram said that instructions were given to test the water quality around 10 days ago. The water supply department's AEIN Monindrajeet Singh and BCMO Dr. Charanjit Singh Raula claimed that routine water samples are collected every week, but no special samples have been taken so far.
The situation is alarming, and it remains to be seen how long the administration will take to wake up and take concrete steps to address the issue.
