The sale of Gol Gappe, or Pani Puri, was banned in Kathmandu, Nepal due to the occurrence of cholera in the metropolitan city of Lalitpur (LMC). On Saturday, the LMC authorities decided to stop the sale and distribution of Pani Puri in the metropolis. According to PTI, officials said in the notification that cholera bacteria had been found in the water used in Pani Puri.
The metropolis is making internal preparations to stop Pani Puri’s sales in overcrowded areas and the corridor, according to Sitaram Hachethu, head of the city police. To date, 12 people have tested positive for cholera in the Kathmandu Valley. According to Chumanlal Dash, director of the epidemiology and disease control division under the Ministry of Public Health, five cases of cholera have been identified in the metropolis of Kathmandu and one each in Chandragiri and Budhanilkantha.
Infected patients are currently being treated at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases Hospital in Tek. Previously, five cholera cases were found in different parts of the capital. Two of the infected have been treated and are outside. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health and Population has urged people to visit the nearest medical facility immediately if they develop symptoms of cholera. The ministry asked everyone to be vigilant as diarrhea, cholera, and other water-borne diseases spread mainly in summer and during the rainy season.
In Nepal there is an endemic incidence of cholera with the potential to break out due to a lack of safe drinking water and good hygiene. It is estimated that 30,000 cases and 911 deaths are recorded each year during the monsoon months from May to September. Although the disease occurs almost every year in the Kathmandu Valley and is occasionally reported in other parts of the country where it happens, it is unpredictable.
