Ban on the sale of Pani Puri in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley; here’s why [details]

For those who love the quintessential street food, ban on Panipuri can feel rough. But the sale of Pani Puri has been banned in Nepal’s Kathmandu after a rising number cholera cases were reported in Lalitpur Metropolitan City (LMC). On Saturday, the authorities in LMC took the decision to stop the sale of Pani Puri, citing health reasons. While announcing the orders, the officials said that cholera bacteria had been found in the water used in Pani Puri, reported the PTI. Officials further feared that there was an increased risk of cholera spreading in the Valley.

As per the information shared by Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population, seven more people tested positive for cholera in Kathmandu Valley. Of these seven cases, five reportedly are from Kathmandu Metropolis. Chumanlal Dash, director at Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the Health Ministry, informed that of the seven, five cases have been identified in Kathmandu and two cases from two other municipalities. The total number of cholera patients in the country further increased to 12. In order to prevent the disease from spreading further, ban on the sale of Pani Puri in crowded and corridor areas has been imposed.

Advisory for the people

In the meanwhile, Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population has urged people to visit their nearest health care centre in case they experienced any of the symptoms of cholera. The ministry issued an advisory requesting everyone to be cautious of what they consumed and alert and vigilant of any symptoms as water-borne diseases like diarrhoea and cholera were spreading especially during summer and monsoon months.

Street food and cholera

As per World Health Organisation, researchers have estimated that each year there are 1.3 to 4.0 million cases of cholera and 21000 to 143000 deaths worldwide. Cholera, an acute diarrhoeal disease, can kill within hours if left untreated. In February 1992, an outbreak of cholera occurred among persons who had flown on a commercial airline from South America to Los Angeles. Later studies, conducted to determine the cause of the outbreak, revealed that cold seafood salad was the vehicle of infection. Seventy-five of the 336 passengers in the United States had cholera, of which 10 were hospitalised and one died.