Cholera and diarrhoea cases have gone up in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, with the local government hospital having received 650 patients in the last four months only, a senior official said today. Yavatmal Government Medical College and Hospital dean Dr Manish Shrigiriwar said the number of patients shot up during April to August 8. He said 13 patients were admitted in the hospital today, taking the number of in-house patients of diarrhoea and cholera to 51.

"We have opened special wards for the patients suffering from cholera and diarrhoea," the dean said. When asked about the inflow of patients suffering from passive inhalation of farm pesticides, the dean said 34 patients have been treated since July.