492 cases of jaundice reported from in and around Shimla: CM

Shimla, Feb 23 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said Jaundice had not taken the form of an epidemic since only 492 cases of the disease were reported from in and around Shimla town during the last 31 days.

Replying to a calling attention motion on rising Jaundice cases in the town by Mahinder Singh (BJP), he said from January 22 to February 22 this year' only 492 cases were reported from various areas of the town.

Mr Singh said of the 492 cases reported so far, Kasumpati area accounted for the largest number of affected people at 285, followed by 80 at Khalini area, 75 at Chhota Shimla area, 30 at Annadale, 19 at Boilueganj and three around the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC).

Since the disease was affecting people in isolated portions of the town, it would be wrong to term it an epidemic, he said.

Adding that necessary steps were being taken at the administrative level to ensure that clean drinking water was being provided to the people of the town.

State health officials have been moving house to house in the affected areas cautioning people against collecting and drinking from unprotected natural water sources.

He said over 1.5 lakh chlorine tablets have so far been distributed in the affected parts of the town, and people have also been advised to drink boiled water to prevent its spread.

The Chief Minister said testing of water was also being done at a laboratory at the Deen Dayal Upadhaya Hospital here after every 48 hrs to ensure that water was fit to drink.

He said a team of Microbiologists from Pune was here to collect blood samples of the patients and would help to study the causes and reasons of its spread in the town.

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