Guj: Kalol in Gandhinagar declared cholera-affected

The district administration in Gandhinagar in Gujarat on Tuesday declared Kalol town as a cholera-affected region after five cases were found there, officials said.

An order declaring the area in a 2-kilometre radius of Kalol as affected by the ailment was issued by Gandhinagar collector Kuldeep Arya under the Epidemic Diseases Act for a period of one month, they said.

''Five of 38 samples tested returned positive for cholera. It mainly spreads through water or food contamination,'' Arya said.

Contamination of drinking water due to leakage or rupture in underground pipelines may be the cause, and teams have been formed to find out and rectify them, Arya said.

The development comes a week after Nadiad town in Kheda district was declared as cholera-affected.

Nadiad has four confirmed cholera cases at the moment, while 50 people suspected to have the ailment and experiencing symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea are admitted in local hospitals, officials said.

''Efforts are on to repair ruptured pipelines, fill up open pits and spray disinfectants,'' said Nadiad municipality chief officer Pranav Parekh.