At least 11 workers of a tea estate in Assam's Tinsukia district have died due to diarrhoea in the past one week. Their co-workers alleged that they died due to unhygienic conditions and lack of proper drinking water in the area.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal expressed concern over the disease outbreak and directed Assam Chief Secretary and District Commissioner of Tinsukia to assess the situation.
Mr Sonowal, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Assam and the former chief minister of the state, also directed the officials to provide immediate assistance to the people affected by the outbreak.
Assam MLA Rupesh Gowala also visited the garden and took stock of the situation. He instructed the officials to take urgent measures to control the disease.
Diarrhoea is a symptom of infections caused by a host of bacterial, viral, and parasitic organisms, most of which are spread by faeces-contaminated water, according to the World Health Organization. It can last several days and can leave the body without the water and salts that are necessary for survival.
Severe dehydration and fluid loss have been the main causes of diarrhoea-associated deaths.
The infection is more common when there is a shortage of adequate sanitation and hygiene and safe water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning.
Safe drinking water, use of improved sanitation, and hand washing with soap can reduce disease risk.
Featured Video Of The Day
Unrest In Manipur Continues As 2 People Found Dead Inside A Charred Home In Jiribam District
Artic Sea Microbes Reveals Promising Prospects For Antibiotics: Study Diarrhoea Cases Spread To 12 Himachal Villages, Hundreds In Hospital Hundreds In UK Town Hit By "Explosive Diarrhoea" After Consuming Contaminated Tap Water Chaos Erupts On Ryanair Flight After Passenger Dies Mid-Air Watch: Passengers Run For Safety As Cruise Ship Tilts In The Atlantic Ocean Uddhav Thackeray's "Names On TV" Dig At Poll Officials After 2 Bag Checks Inflation In Argentina Dips Below 200% For First Time In A Year Explained: What The Latest Science Shows Us About Climate Change US Senate Democrats Rush To Confirm Judges Before Trump Takes Office Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.