Authorities on Saturday confirmed that drinking water in Bhagirathpura, Indore, was contaminated with a lethal mix of pathogens, including E. coli, Salmonella and Vibrio cholerae, along with viruses, fungi and protozoa—a rare and dangerous polymicrobial contamination that doctors say led to sepsis and multi-organ failure in several patients.

Scale of the outbreak

• At least 10 deaths
• 210 people hospitalised, including 32 in ICUs
• Outbreak began December 25
• Area affected: ~50,000 residents

What caused the contamination

Officials said multiple factors contributed:

• Raw sewage leakage from a toilet at a police outpost without a septic tank
• Breaches in a 30-year-old water pipeline, allowing untreated human waste to mix with drinking water
• Residents had complained for months about foul-smelling tap water, but action was delayed

Why doctors say the delay was deadly

Medical experts strongly criticised the late testing and diagnosis:

• Polymicrobial infections require rapid identification to decide correct antibiotics and supportive care
• Delays allow pathogens to enter the bloodstream, triggering sepsis and organ failure
• Initial confusion led doctors to treat cases as simple diarrhoea or cholera, while patients were actually infected with multiple organisms

“The first few days are crucial. Delay in detecting polymicrobial infection is extremely dangerous,” said microbiologist Dr Deepak Dwivedi.

Ground-level confusion

• Private hospitals began receiving patients on Dec 25
• Health department surveillance reportedly began only on Dec 29
• Urban Primary Health Centres were allegedly closed on Sunday (Dec 28) despite rising cases
• One patient died after apparent recovery, pointing to hidden septic complications

Government response

• 26 water samples confirmed polymicrobial contamination
• Chemical testing underway to check for toxic substances
• 11,000 houses surveyed
• 3,052 people identified with mild symptoms
• Patients with severe illness shifted to medical colleges for multi-specialty care
• A medical board formed to review deaths and compensation eligibility

Political fallout

• Congress accused the BJP government of medical negligence, citing 8–10 days to confirm infection
• BJP defended the response, saying the outbreak was controlled despite diagnostic challenges

Bottom line

The Indore outbreak highlights how delayed surveillance, ageing infrastructure and slow laboratory confirmationcan turn a water contamination event into a fatal public health disaster—especially when multiple deadly pathogensare involved. Doctors warn that early testing, including viral screening, is critical to prevent similar tragedies.