Uttarakhand advised to use only dry rations for relief

The central government has advised the Uttarakhand government to use only dry rations for providing relief in view of cases of diarrhoea reported after consumption of stale food at some places in the flood-hit hill state, a health ministry statement said Thursday.

"In the light of cases of diarrhoea reported due to consumption of stale food supplied by an NGO, the state health department was advised to issue an advisory for use of only dry rations by the NGOs as is being done by the government departments," it said.

The health ministry has posted two officers of the rank of deputy director general to oversee relief operations in the state, it said.

Besides, a public health team of a public health specialist and an entomologist is being sent to the foothill districts of the state like Uddham Singh Nagar and Hardwar in view of scattered cases of vector-borne diseases, namely malaria and dengue being reported from there, the release said.

Forty senior residents and specialist doctors from three central government hospitals have been deployed at health centres in the affected districts, making a total of 80 central doctors and 40 specialist doctors stationed there.

There are currently five public health teams in the field. They are stationed in districts of Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, and Haridwar.