Death of 11 persons in Tongonagaon TE in Tinsukia not due to cholera: DC

Doomdooma, May 24: “The cause of the abnormal death of 11 workers of Tongonagaon Tea Estate in Kakopothar of Tinsukia district was not cholera or dysentery,” said Tinsukia District Commissioner Swapneel Paul on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference at his office premises, the DC said, “According to the information received from the doctors, none of them had any symptoms of cholera.”

The Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA) alleged that the deaths of 11 persons in the Tongonagaon Tea Estate in the past one week were due to cholera and dysentery. But the District Commissioner denied it in the press conference today and said that no germs of cholera and dysentery were found in the results of the swab tests received from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Lahowal, Dibrugarh.

The Health Department has sent a team from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) to take all necessary measures after receiving news of the deaths of people suffering from diarrhoea on May 12. After the news of the deaths of 11 persons spread, the district administration formed a fact-finding team that went to each family and collected thorough information to find out the cause of their deaths. Of the 11, nine died of high blood pressure, liver disease, gastric disease, chronic alcoholic disease, and other causes, while only two had partial diarrhoea. The ASHA workers working in the tea garden areas have also been directed to pay attention to the matter, and they were provided with equipment to conduct blood pressure checks.

The excise department has been directed to take action against illicit liquor (chulai in the tea estate). The health department has also arranged special camps for health check-ups. Anyone with information about any infectious disease is urged to contact the helpline number 6900911465 immediately. The District Commissioner also urged the people to be careful while eating and drinking water to keep themselves healthy due to the increasingly hot summer days.

Additional District Commissioner (Health), Chinmoy Pathak, and Joint Director of Health Services, Dr Jayanta Bhattacharya, were also present at the press conference.