Agartala, September 13: After Malaria, Japanese Encephalitis and dengue, the state health department is now apprehending water borne seasonal disease to strike interior villages. The distant Primary Health Centre (PHC), Community Health Centre (CHC) and health sub-centers are already getting rising cases of diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, a highly placed source in the Department of Health and Family Welfare said.

The source said that a standard precaution was issued through the Drinking Water and Sanitation authorities under the Public Works Department as first-line precaution against any accidental outbreak of the diseases.

“We have asked people to boil water before drinking, irrespective of its source. Hygenic measures and sanitary systems are mandatory for which the state government has been implementing projects for years now. We have urged people to stop open defacation and use halogen tablets for cleaning drinking water prior to consumption”, the source informed.

Asked about the issue, the Director of family welfare denied the reports and said that a few sub-divisions might have issued standalone precautionary notices in concerned areas but there were no reports of major outbreaks of diarrhea or typhoid.

Asked if there were no cases of the diseases in the public hospitals and healthcare centre, the official, however, said that patients were being admitted with typhoid and diarrhea but denied to acknowledge the trend to be alarming.