Maha: 5 die of cholera in Amravati district

Mumbai: Five people, including two women, have died due to cholera in Maharashtra's Amravati district which has been lashed by heavy rainfall, the state health department said on Wednesday.

The deceased were among 181 people in the district who were recently diagnosed with the water-borne disease, it said.

Large parts of the state have been experiencing heavy showers for the past one week.

An epidemiological surveillance is being carried out in the state on a war footing due to downpour, the health department said.

The cholera outbreak started in Chikhaldara and Amaravati blocks (tehsils) of the district in eastern Maharashtra from July 7 onward, it said.

"The ongoing outbreak is in three villages of Chikhaldara (Dongri, Koylari and Ghana) and one village (Naya Akola) of Amaravati block. Until now, 181 patients have been diagnosed with cholera and five of them - three men and two women - have died," the department said.

Three of the deceased were in the age group of 24 to 40 years, while two were over 70.

"Medical teams are working round the clock in outbreak-affected villages and efforts for prevention and control in terms of water quality monitoring, patient surveillance, management and treatment, and health awareness are underway," the health department said.

A state-level squad is currently in the district to investigate the outbreak and provide appropriate guidance, it said.