In spite of defensive measures started by the district officials to bring down gastroenteritis (intestinal flu) cases in Bholakpur, the number is increasing day by day without any major improvement.

Mr. L V Subramanyam, principal secretary (Medical and health), confirmed that total number of GE cases shifted to Gandhi and Fever Hospital on Monday has reached 30.

Out of the 22 cases at Gandhi Hospital, 5 were children and 17 adults. Eight people were reported at Fever Hospital.

All the cases were from Bholakpur.

While addressing the media on Monday, Dr. P P Prasad, Fever Hospital superintendent, maintained that examinations of 58 samples have revealed 12 as vibrio cholera positive.

The patients were admitted to the hospital on May 4 and 5 respectively.

The reports said that 26 cholera cases have been reported from the city up till now.

Dr. Prasad added that 166 patients have been discharged out of 173 reported at the hospital since May 3.

He also said that besides the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) group, which visited the hospital on Monday and collected data from the hospital and surveyed the wards, even the food section of National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) collected random blood and stool samples from patients to detect the source of contamination.

The 12 samples have been sent to National Institute of Cholera and Other Enteric Diseases (NICED) for molecular and microbiology analysis.

The final report will be out in about next three to four days.