JOIN USThe Union Ministry of Health is now concentrating on preventing a post-disaster epidemic in Uttarakhand and is sending medical teams and supplying medicines to meet the challenge.
However, the ministry has asserted that no outbreak of water borne, food borne, air borne or direct contact diseases has been reported from affected areas.
“After picking up early warning signals, Diarrhoea cases in Haridwar (Alwalpur), Uttarkashi (Udvi) and Rudraprayag (Chandrapuri) have been managed at incipient stage,” the ministry claimed.
Another area which is being taken care of is post-disaster trauma and psycho-social support. The ministry has sent two more teams from Nimhans, Bangalore, to the affected areas.
According to the Health Ministry, both teams have 3 members each.
One team from Nimhans is already present in the area.
“The remaining two teams from Nimhans for Psycho-social support are en route to join the first team already deployed in the affected areas. The first team is continuing its field visits and surveys,” the ministry said.
The ministry has posted three central public health teams to Uttarakhand.
They have been deployed in Chamoli and Joshimath.
A two-member public health team from Delhi has reached Dehradun and has been placed at the service of the state health department.
“Another three-member public health team from All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata, are set to reach on Sunday,” the ministry said.
A specialist from National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme has been placed with the state government for providing assistance on matters pertaining to vector borne diseases, the ministry said.
In addition to sending medical teams, the Union health ministry informed that 40 chloroscopes and a large quantity of reagents have been sent for testing water samples.