india

Updated: Jul 25, 2019 05:56 IST

Two children have died of diarrhoea in Firozabad in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll from water-borne diseases over the past two days to four. The district administration has decided to make public announcements to alert parents to seek immediate medical assistance if their children take ill.

Of the two latest deaths, one was of Aarav, a three-year-old boy from Jhalkari Nagar in Firozabad, who passed away on Tuesday evening at the district hospital after suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting through the day. The other was of an eight-month-old baby, Naitik, who died in the hospital on Wednesday.

In the wee hours of Tuesday, siblings Lucky (5) and Laxmi (7), hailing from Anand Nagar locality of Firozabad, had died during treatment.

Firozabad district magistrate Chandra Vijay Singh had ordered the district hospital to increase the number of beds, and officials were there for an inspection when Naitik, who was from Rehna area of Firozabad, died. “The infant was brought on Wednesday morning but he could not be saved,” the DM said.

“We are asking people not to fall prey to quacks, and avail themselves of genuine health services at the earliest in the interest of their children,” he said, adding that arrangements at government hospitals were being upgraded. “We are ensuring that there are adequate beds and air-conditioners.”

Firozabad municipal commissioner Vijay Kumar said the water pipeline in Anand Nagar was extensively inspected following the deaths of Lucky and Laxmi, and a local leak in it was found in the siblings’ house.

“For now, we are supplying water to Anand Nagar through tankers. The pipeline is being flushed before we begin supplying water through it again,” said Kumar, adding that fogging was being undertaken in all “vulnerable localities”, including Anand Nagar.

Kumar has appealed to people to boil water before using it for drinking purposes.

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