Case filed against 7 institutions in Kerala for discharging sewage into river amid Cholera scare

The Health Department has filed a case against seven institutions including a lodge in Vazhikadavu town, which was found to have discharged sewage directly into the river and stream, District Surveillance Officer Shubin C said.

The Health Department has filed a case against seven institutions including a lodge in Vazhikadavu town, which was found to have discharged sewage directly into the river and stream, District Surveillance Officer Shubin C said. Cholera has been confirmed in 14 people in Malappuram district.

"Notices were issued to the building owner and the management of the establishment requiring them to close down," the officer added. Last year, amid a global resurgence of cholera, a top World Health Organization (WHO) official said that climate change has driven an "unprecedented" number of larger and more deadly cholera outbreaks this year.

"The map is under threat (from cholera) everywhere," said Philippe Barboza, WHO Team Lead for Cholera and Epidemic Diarrhoeal Diseases. He was quoted as saying by UN News while speaking in Geneva. Available data points to cases of infection in around 30 countries, whereas in the previous five years, fewer than 20 countries reported infections, on average.

"The situation is quite unprecedented, for not only we are seeing more outbreaks, but these outbreaks are larger and more deadly than the ones we have seen in past years," said Barboza. "This increasing number of cholera outbreaks is occurring after several years of regular reduction in the number of cases and deaths." Barboza explained that all the "usual factors" had played their part in the global uptick of cholera in 2022, not least conflict and mass displacement.

According to WHO, every year, there are 1.3 to four million cases of cholera, and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths worldwide from the disease. The disease is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by eating or drinking food or water that is contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. (ANI)

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