Two students of the most coveted medical college in the state, the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute’s (BMCRI) Girls Hostel have found cholera positive. The blood sample of 26-year-old Prafulla with one more student was confirmed to be infected with cholera, with the Ogawa serotype of the Vibrio cholerae bacteria which is responsible for the acute diarrheal illness. These two students tested positive for cholera based on the ‘hanging drop’ test and culture test. A third tested positive by the ‘hanging drop’ test, a microscopic examination of the stool samples but her culture test report is awaited.
Meanwhile, four new cholera cases were reported in Bengaluru Urban district on Saturday taking the total to six. This includes two confirmed cases from the BMCRI. The state total since January has now jumped to 10 confirmed cases including three with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits and one case in Ramanagara. Two unconfirmed cases from Mysuru have also been reported.
It is to be noted that the State Health and Family Welfare Department asserted there is no cholera outbreak in Karnataka, whereas BMCRI Girls Hostel’s 47 students on Friday and four more students on Saturday were admitted to Victoria Hospital in a suspected case of food poisoning. A student representative who is also admitted to the hospital informed that a total of 70 students developed symptoms. Around 20 initially went home after the mild symptoms developed.
On Saturday, 21 students were discharged but undergoing treatment with fluids and antibiotics. BMCRI said the hostel warden Dr. Akhilandeshwari has been suspended while the cook will be replaced and the kitchen will be sealed off to be disinfected. However, BMCRI PG students earlier highlighted poor administration which is not even providing basic amenities like safe drinking water, food, and clean bathrooms. The girls complained about water contamination in the hostel premises.
It is important to mention that amid the extreme water crisis in Bengaluru, the scare of the Cholera Outbreak in Karnataka especially in the Silicon city ‘Of Bengaluru’, the government has denied it but at the same time, has issued an advisory for seasonal diseases.