Samples sent to NICD to probe plague possibility in Surat

Surat, Aug 18 (UNI) Around 250 samples of carcasses have been collected and sent to National Institute of Communicable Diseases, (NICD) from the flood-affected city to find out the possibility of any plague infection, state health secretary Amarjeet Singh today informed.

Mr Singh said at a press conference that precautionary medical treatment has also been given to many people to prevent water borne diseases like cholera and dengue.

Mr Singh said that a major problem in Surat was lack of necessary medicines in medical shops because many shops were affected by flood.

''To prevent medicine shortage, we approached medical shops in Bharuch, Navsari and Valsad to avail the medicines,'' Mr Singh said and added that Rs 2.75 crores had been distributed as cash doles to those affected in flood.

Meanwhile, another special officer, Guruprasad Mahapatra informed that National Institute of Virology, Pune and NICD has conducted some flea index measurement and found that a plague outbreak in Surat is impossble.

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