Aizawl: A suspected outbreak of a waterborne disease has claimed five lives in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district, with officials confirming that the infection may have originated from across the Myanmar border.
Lawngtlai Deputy Commissioner Donny Lalruatsanga said on Thursday that the outbreak was reported from Kakichhuah village, a remote settlement bordering Myanmar.
Of the five people who have died, four were Myanmar nationals.
Another 27 residents, aged between five and 63, are currently infected.
Expressing concern over the fatalities, Lalruatsanga said the administration has launched an investigation to identify the source of the outbreak and curb its spread.
“Preventive and control measures are being strictly implemented, and we are confident that the situation can be brought under control,” he said.
To contain the spread, the district administration has declared Kakichhuah a containment zone for two months, restricting movement except for medical, election, and emergency purposes.
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Lawngtlai Senior Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lalmuanawma Jongte said that the first cases were reported on November 4, and a medical team was dispatched on November 11 to assess the situation.
A Rapid Response Team is now stationed in the area, with local health workers maintaining strict surveillance.
Water samples from the affected area have been sent to Zoram Medical College and Hospital in Falkawn near Aizawl for testing. Preliminary findings suggest the contamination may have originated from Salachhuah village in Myanmar, officials said.
