Mumbai: 84 Byculla jail inmates out of hospital, four new admitted

Four new inmates from Byculla jail were admitted to the government-run Sir JJ Hospital on Saturday after they too complained of vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and subsequent dehydration. Eight inmates were taken to the hospital, but four were discharged after treatment in OPD.

Meanwhile, 80 inmates – including a four-month-old baby – were discharged from the hospital. They were admitted on Friday for the same symptoms. Seven inmates from the earlier batch of 87 still remain in hospital.

All inmates are in stable condition, said Dr Sanjay Surase, medical superintendent of Sir JJ Hospital.

The investigation is still on for the cause of the outbreak. BMC cleared the prison's water supply of any contamination on Saturday after testing samples. An antibiotic called doxycycline was administered by jail authorities to some inmates on Thursday. While the drugs have been sealed and submitted for testing, Dr Padmaja Keskar, BMC's executive health officer, says as the same batch of drugs were distributed across the city, they may not be the cause.