HEALTH

Cholera awareness campaign
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, July 9 — With an aim of reducing instances of outbreak of cholera in the current season, Christian Medical College and Hospital has launched an awareness campaign.

Dr K.L. Dhar, Professor and Head, Department of Medicine, CMC, said the vagaries of weather give a rise to risk factors and our natural resistance to such seasonal diseases are often impaired. Last year, 34 cases of cholera were diagnosed in the hospital and one death had occurred. In this season too, a few cases of cholera have been noted.

Dr Jasbir Dhanoa, Vice-Principal of CMC, informed, “Considering the serological pattern of cholera strain, the department of microbiology is keeping vigil on the disease outbreak and their causative bacterial strains.” Speaking on the practical aspects of community awareness programmes, Dr J.L. Joshi, acting Director of CMC, stressed, “One should not ignore an ordinary complaint of diarrhoea, which is usually voluminous as ignorance can be fatal.”

Dr Dhar emphasised that the provision of safe drinking water, facilities for sanitary disposal of human turd, proper attention to food preparation and storage in the household could drastically reduce the chances of this disease.