The Congress party has recently launched a scathing attack on the Gujarat government, accusing it of negligence in handling a mysterious outbreak in the Lakhpat and Abdasa talukas of Kutch district. The outbreak, which the Congress has labeled as an epidemic, has claimed 14 lives, including six children, as of September 8. The fatalities have been largely attributed to fever and pneumonia, with patients also experiencing difficulty in breathing.
The Congress party has criticized the state government's handling of the crisis, accusing it of negligence. A deadly epidemic has broken out in Lakhpat taluka, claiming 14 lives, said party leaders. Despite repeated warnings from local authorities, the Congress claims that the government did not take serious action until recently. The party has emphasized the lack of clean drinking water and accused the government machinery of being unresponsive to the crisis.
In response to the escalating crisis, the Gujarat government has dispatched 22 medical and surveillance teams to the affected areas. State Health Minister Rushikesh Patel stated that the government has taken note of the deaths and responded swiftly by deploying teams of health experts to the region.
The teams will focus on diagnosing the illness and raising awareness among the local population. Patel assured that all affected regions are under close monitoring and that the state government is taking every possible step to prevent further fatalities. However, local district panchayat members have raised concerns over medical professionals' inability to diagnose the illness accurately. The district administration stated that the cases, prima facie, appear to be instances of influenza.
Two additional deaths have been recorded since the investigative teams arrived, with both victims showing similar symptoms and eventually succumbing to pneumonitis. The outbreak has sparked widespread concern in Kutch, especially since no clear diagnosis is available yet. The deployment of medical teams aims to identify the cause of the illness and ensure that it does not spread further. The government has also increased efforts to supply clean drinking water and essential medical aid to the affected villages.
Authorities are currently on high alert, with health teams conducting door-to-door surveys and medical camps set up in the most affected areas. The situation remains critical, but the administration hopes that swift intervention will bring the outbreak under control.
This situation bears a striking resemblance to the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti, where the government was accused of negligence and slow response. The outbreak, which claimed thousands of lives, was attributed to contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation, similar to the current crisis in Kutch. The Haiti government's response was criticized for its lack of urgency and inadequate medical resources, much like the accusations leveled against the Gujarat government by the Congress party.
The Congress party has called for immediate intervention by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, demanding that senior officers be dispatched to the epidemic-hit areas. Expert medical teams and laboratory tests are urgently needed to diagnose the illness and bring the situation under control. Negligence at this point is unacceptable, the Congress' statement added.
