32 new cases of diarrhoea in Himachal's Hamirpur, total tally rises to 242

Thirty-two fresh cases of diarrhoea were reported in five villages in Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur, taking the total number of patients in the district to 242, an official said on Wednesday.

Diarrhoea has spread to 12 villages in five gram panchayats -- Lambloo, Bafrin, Chamned, Gasota and Pandher -- having a population of around 4,550.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr R K Agnihotri said 32 fresh cases of diarrhoea were detected till Tuesday night, taking the total number of patients in Hamirpur district to 242.

While 103 patients were discharged after medication, 14 are hospitalised and 125 are taking treatment at home, he said.

Agnihotri said six water samples were collected by the health department and sent to the Hamirpur Medical College for analysis.

He advised people to drink boiled water and said the health department has deputed teams to visit the affected villages.

A similar outbreak had affected more than 400 people in Hamirpur in March. It took the administration around 10 days to bring the situation under control.

In January 2023, about 1,000 people had contracted diarrhoea in the Rangas area of Nadaun, the assembly constituency of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. It resurfaced in June, affecting 10 panchayats adjoining Hamirpur town.