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Cholera stalks village; 1 dead
Our Correspondent

Bhiwani, July 4
Cholera has broken out at Palwas village, while it has claimed the life of a child, condition of 12 villagers is quite serious. A team of two doctors sent there has set up a makeshift hospital.

Sources said that anti-cholera medicine was being distributed door to door in the village. All wells of the village have been immunised with bleaching powder. The doctors have detected 25 such cases, a spokesman claimed.

On other hand, the number of patients, estimated to be over 40, is increasing. Several cholera effected patients have been admitted to Civil Hospital and many more are under treatment at different private hospitals here.

According to reports, cholera primarily gripped Harijan basti, ten-year-old Munni of this basti was admitted to Civil Hospital in an unconscious state. She died on Monday. Munni was affected with dehydration as water from her body had drained out due to continuous vomitting and dysentery.

A cholera patient, Jage Ram admitted at bed No 12 of medical ward “B” here, told that he felt a severe pain in his stomach and was suffering from diarrhoea and vomitting. He alleged that no proper care is given to patients here. Another patient, Sonu, is also struggling against cholera. His father Darya Singh told most of the patients in the village were children.

Residents of Palwas told this correspondent that the water supply through the water-works was not worth human consumption, so people were depending on wells and handpumps.

Billu (16), son of Sultan, Kalu (17), son of Hari Singh, Omveer, son of Umed Singh, Satish son of Dayachand, and Dayanand have also been admitted to Civil Hospital. Pinki is also here in semi-conscious condition. Her father Sukhdev said cholera broke out in this village every year, but the administration and Health Department did not take it seriously.

The villagers are also facing an acute shortage of electricity supply and they have to spend nights fighting mosquitoes. The villagers alleged that medicines were not supplied to sprinkle into the wells despite repeated demands.

The Chief Medical Officer Dr Subhash Sharma, said that a marriage party had gone to Dhareru village from Palwas four days back where members of the party fell victim to overeating. They later suffered from diarrhoea and vomitting and cholera spread.

He told bleaching powder had been sprinkled on mud, street potholes and wherever water had accumulated. A team has been dispatched to Dhareru to check the condition where a marriage party had gone.