13 kids die of infectious diseases in Uttar Pradesh village

LUCKNOW - Thirteen children have died due to “infectious diseases” in the last three weeks in an Uttar Pradesh village, bringing the health authorities under the scanner.

People of Rajthal village in Badaun district, some 250 km from Lucknow, said while all the 13 children died of water-borne diseases, including cholera, dysentery and typhoid, nearly 70 others were in the grip of such infections.

“It was bound to happen…It’s all due to the contaminated water supply to our village. For the past several weeks we are receiving contaminated water. Moreover, the regular sanitation drive has not been conducted for the last three months,” Dilwari Devi, a resident of the village, told reporters Saturday in Badaun.

The villagers claimed they registered several complaints with civic agencies about the contaminated water supply and the poor sanitation.

Admitting to the poor sanitary conditions in the village, Badaun’s chief medical officer P.K. Jain told IANS: “I have come to know about the deaths from local journalists. Prima-facie, the deaths definitely expose the lackadaisical approach of health officials. I have ordered an inquiry into the deaths and recommended strict action against the health officials.”