Shimla : The stoppage of water supply from Ashwani Khud scheme by the Himachal government seems to have no impact on the rising jaundice cases here, as 650 people have been diagnosed with the disease so far. Official sources peg the number of jaundice patients in Shimla as 650.
Reports have also suggested three deaths from the disease but the Deputy Chief medical Officer, Dr Ranjana Rao on Sunday said that only one death from jaundice has been reported in the area. Rao said that a 32-year old woman from Vikas Nagar had succumbed to the disease while the two other deaths were caused due to lever related ailments. She said that the patients would continue to pour in till first week of February as the incubation period of the disease was two to six weeks. The spread of jaundice in the area was reportedly attributed to contamination of water source at Ashwani Khud drinking water scheme due to mixing of untreated water from sewerage treatment plants. The Himachal High Court had also taken notice of reports of spread of jaundice and asked all the concerned depts to take effective action to ensure that clean water was supplied to the citizens. (PTI)
