India : Corpn downplays diarrhoea outbreak as routine

Via The Times of India, not a smart move by the Mayor :

" CHENNAI: Even as acute diarrhoeal diseases continue to spread fast across the city and suburbs, the Corporation has chosen to play it down, terming them "routine summer cases."

Mayor M Subramanian on Saturday said only 40 patients have got treatment for ADD at the Communicable Diseases Hospital in Tondiarpet in the last few days.

However, records accessed by TOI show that CDH has seen 790 cases in the last week of May, soon after Cyclone Laila brought heavy rains inundating several areas. Sewage mixing with drinking water carried by leaky pipes is suspected to be the prime reason for the outbreak. The matter has taken a political twist with the Opposition AIADMK organising protests against the "failure of the authorities in checking cholera." The mayor, meanwhile, reiterated that no case of cholera has been reported. "These are rumours being spread for political reasons," he told mediapersons after visiting CDH. "Diarrhoea cases are usually seen during summer," he added."