In a tragic turn of events, at least five people have died due to suspected waterborne disease outbreak, an official said on Thursday. In a statement to the media by the Lawngtlai Deputy Commissioner Donny Lalruatsanga, the waterborne disease outbreak occurred in a border village in south Mizoram's Lawngtlai district which claimed five lives, four were from Myanmar.
According to Lawngtlai Deputy Commissioner Donny Lalruatsanga, the outbreak was first reported at Kakichhuah, a village that shares a border with Myanmar.
As of now, 27 people between the ages of 5 to 63 have been infected by the waterborne disease, which is suspected to have originated from the neighbouring country.
Expressing concerns over the fatalities, meanwhile, emphasising the urgency to identify the cause of the disease before it spreads widely, Lalruatsanga said, "An investigation has been launched to ascertain the outbreak. All preventive and control measures are being strictly implemented."
On Wednesday, the Lawngtlai district administration declared Kakichhuah village a contaminated zone for two months. Free movement will be restricted in this village except for medical reasons, elections and emergency cases.
Dr Lalmuanawma Jongte, a senior chief medical officer in Lawngtlai, told the media that people started reporting symptoms earlier this month. A medical team was immediately dispatched to Kakichhuah on November 11 to investigate the outbreak.
He said a Rapid Response Team (RRT) has been deployed, and local health workers are maintaining close surveillance.
To take cognizance of the ongoing situation in Mizoram, officials have collected water samples from the area and have been sent to the Zoram Medical College & Hospital at Falkawn near Aizawl for testing. As per the preliminary evidence, the outbreak is attributed to the contamination originating from Salachhuah village in Myanmar.
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