At least 38 fresh cases of vomiting and diarrhoea linked to contaminated drinking water were detected on Monday at the Bhagirathpura primary health centre in Indore, with a senior official putting the death toll so far to seven.

Six patients have been referred for treatment, and 110 are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals, including 15 in ICUs, officials said.

Indore Divisional Commissioner Sudam Khade told PTI over the phone that seven deaths have been reported so far as per the health department.

Till the previous day, officials had been maintaining six fatalities linked to the water contamination.  Locals, however, have claimed 17 deaths due to the outbreak.

The health department on Monday conducted a real-time household survey using the Kobo tool in the affected Bhagirathpura area to assess the situation and ensure the availability of chlorinated drinking water to residents.

The survey followed training on the Kobo tool, imparted by the Central government’s regional health director Dr. Chandrashekhar Gedam, in coordination with the district administration. The tool enables real-time assessment of field conditions, officials said.

Under the direction of Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani, around 200 teams were deployed in the area. Each team visited pre-marked houses and carried out surveys.

The teams distributed 10 ORS packets, 30 zinc tablets, and a Clean Water dropper at each household, according to an official statement.

Residents were advised to add eight to 10 drops of the clean water solution to 10 litres of water and use it after one hour for purification.

Health teams provided counselling to residents and shared toll-free helpline numbers. They emphasized completion of medicine doses, boiling of drinking water, and displayed proper hand-washing methods.

Each team comprised a doctor, a nursing officer, a community health officer, an ASHA worker and an ANM. The teams covered 2,745 households during the day, reaching around 14,000 people, and carried out IEC activities, along with kit distribution and counselling, it added.

Officials said the main objective was to ensure access to chlorinated, germ-free drinking water in the affected area.

At the direction of district collector Shivam Verma, five ambulances have been stationed in the area, and doctors are deployed round the clock.

Patients are being referred to M Y Hospital, Aurobindo Hospital, while affected children are referred to Chacha Nehru Hospital. Free treatment, tests and medicines are also being provided to patients visiting private hospitals, the statement said.