LAHORE, May 25: The Punjab health department’s five-member team has found that a large number of diarrhoea and gastroenteritis cases in Pattoki tehsil were caused by contaminated milk and syrups distributed free of cost on the occasion of Eid Miladun Nabi last month. The team, led by Communicable Disease Control (CDC) director Dr Muhammad Hasan, had collected samples of stool, blood, urine and potable water for laboratory tests.

Dr Hasan told Dawn that none of stool tests found positive for vibrio cholera as reported in different newspapers. All the patients had diarrhoea and gastroenteritis, he added.

He said the health department had taken preventive measures, including chlorination of water, and distributed medicines among patients. Though the diarrhoea and gastroenteritis continued for a longer period, Dr Hasan claimed that the cases were now on the decrease.—Staff Reporter