Health Minister A. Kali Krishna Srinivas on May 26 announced that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has granted ₹5 lakh ex-gratia to the families of 14 persons who died due to ‘Pedal Edema’ disease since March in Chintoor Agency in East Godavari district.

“A preliminary inquiry report on the deaths due to the Pedal Edema disease has been submitted to the Chief Minister on Monday night and the State government has granted ₹5 lakh ex-gratia to the 14 families of those who died due to the disease.” Mr. Krishna Srinivas said at a press conference in Kakinada. East Godavari Collector D. Muralidhar will hand over the ex-gratia this week, he added.

Door to door survey

“An expert team of doctors will study the cause of the disease and death toll once the results of the blood samples, which is to be collected from each household in the hotspot habitations in the Chintoor Agency from Wednesday, are out. A decision on whether to rope-in any national-level medical research institutes and experts is yet to be taken,” he said.

103 more battling

On the observations of the field visit in the Pedal Edema-affected area conducted on May 25, Mr. Krishna Srinivas said, “In the Chintoor agency, as many as 103 persons have been found suffering from the ailment of the Pedal Edema, with the symptoms of swelling of legs as on Monday, and the health condition of the 16 of them are said to be serious. The State government will offer complete medical treatment for the patients suffering from the Pedal Edema.”

Drinking water

Admitting that 300 tribal habitations in the Chintoor Agency are struggling for access to safe drinking water, Mr. Krishna Srinivas said, “The ultraviolet purification plants will be set up in 300 habitations in the coming months, initially to prevent the rise in the number of the Pedal Edema cases.”

In a review meeting with the district authorities, the Health Minister accepted the proposal of setting up ‘Village Clinic’ in all the 66 panchayats in the Chintoor agency.