Gastroenteritis Outbreak In South Kashmir Under Control Amid Intense Heatwave

The prolonged dry spell and intense heatwave have caused a gastroenteritis outbreak in the Saller and Qazigund areas of South Kashmir's Anantnag district. The situation is now under control, with no current hospital admissions as of Thursday.

Gastroenteritis, also known as stomach flu, is an infection of the digestive system that leads to symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and sometimes fever. It spreads rapidly through contaminated food or water and person-to-person contact.

The outbreak affected Kewa village in Qazigund and Tral village in Anantnag, with 15 cases reported in Kewa and 89 in Tral. Dr. Zahoor Ahmad, Block Medical Officer (BMO) Saller, confirmed no current hospital admissions for gastroenteritis, indicating the situation is nearly under control with no new cases as of Thursday.

Similarly, in Kewa village, no new cases have been reported or admitted since the initial outbreak affecting 15 people. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Kulgam, Dr. Saba Wani, explained that the heatwave caused the seasonal outbreak and advised boiling water for at least twenty minutes and maintaining cleanliness.

Dr. Muzaffar Jan, Head of the Department of Paediatrics at Government Medical College, Srinagar, mentioned that gastroenteritis is common in Kashmir every summer, primarily due to contaminated food and poor hygiene.

The Directorate of Health Services Kashmir (DHSK) has instructed all Chief Medical Officers, Medical Superintendents, and Block Medical Officers to conduct extensive awareness campaigns to prevent further spread. The DHSK advises using boiled water, maintaining hand hygiene, avoiding close contact with affected individuals, and reporting symptoms promptly. They also recommend keeping vulnerable individuals away from those infected, monitoring children closely, avoiding raw vegetables and street food, staying hydrated, and avoiding direct sunlight during peak hours.

With record-breaking temperatures across Kashmir, a severe heatwave is expected, with some previous records potentially being surpassed over the next four days. The Meteorological Department (MeT) Centre Srinagar reports the following forecast:

1. July 24-26: Brief rain or thundershowers in isolated places in Kashmir Division, light to moderate rain or thundershowers in many places in Jammu Division.

2. July 27-31: Intermittent light to moderate rain or thundershowers in many places.

3. August 1-3: Intermittent light to moderate rain/thundershowers in many places.