Gastroenteritis toll in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai & Siaha districts climbs to 8

Aizawl: The death toll from a gastroenteritis outbreak in Mizoram’s southernmost districts of Lawngtlai and Siaha has climbed to eight, health officials reported on Thursday.The fatalities include five individuals from Kakichhuah village in Lawngtlai and three from Lodaw village in Siaha, both districts bordering Myanmar.The outbreak was first identified in Kakichhuah on Nov 4, with subsequent cases emerging in Siaha’s Lomaso and Lodaw villages on Nov 5 and 11, respectively. Currently, 27 people are infected in Kakichhuah, while Lomaso and Lodaw report 14 and 4 cases, respectively.In response, Lawngtlai district administration dispatched a medical team on Tuesday. Siaha deputy commissioner VL Hruaizela and chief medical officer Dr Lalrengpuii Ralte also mobilised a medical team the same evening.Dr C Lalzampuii, leading the Lawngtlai medical team, suspects the disease spread from individuals entering Kakichhuah from Myanmar’s Salachhuah village. The five deceased in Kakichhuah were from the Khumi community, primarily refugees from Myanmar.

Samples from the affected villages have been sent to Zoram Medical College & Hospital for testing. In a bid to contain the outbreak, Lawngtlai DC Donny Lalruatsanga has declared Kakichhuah a containment area, restricting movement except for medical and emergency personnel. The entry point between Salachhuah and Kakichhuah has been temporarily closed.The villages in both districts are hosting a significant number of Myanmar refugees, with frequent cross-border movement due to their proximity to Myanmar.