Alappuzha: A man who was in critical condition after testing positive for Cholera died at a private hospital in Thiruvalla on Friday. The deceased is PG Raghu (48), a native of Thalavady in Alappuzha. His death was confirmed around 1 am on Friday. Though he had tested positive for the bacterial disease, the health department said that cholera is yet to be confirmed as the cause of death.

Though a section of the media reported it as a case of cholera, the District Medical Officer said the deceased, Raghu (48), had been admitted to a private hospital with symptoms suggestive of cholera.

However, the waterborne disease is yet to be confirmed through subsequent tests. While Raghu's blood test suggested cholera, the infection could not be detected in his stool sample, the medical officer said in a statement. Cholera can only be confirmed if the presence of the bacteria is detected in the stool, the officer clarified.

Despite two rounds of stool cultures conducted at the hospital, cholera bacteria were not found, the statement added.

When Raghu tested positive for the bacterial disease, the health authority of Thalavady panchayat said that he suffered from other health ailments, including liver disease. It was on May 14, Raghu’s blood samples turned positive for Cholera.

According to the officials, finding strains of Vibrio Cholerae in blood, the bacteria which cause Cholera, is an atypical presentation. "Normally, Cholera is found in stool; it may have entered the blood through an ulceration in the gut, but this needs to be affirmed," a health official said.

The panchayat authorities have sent water samples for testing to trace the infection's source.

A 63-year-old resident of Thiruvananthapuram who died in Kowdiar tested positive for Cholera in April. Ajaichandran, a resident of Kowdiar, died on April 20. This patient also had other health ailments. According to the officials, there were similarities in presentation in both cases." In both cases, we could not identify any clusters. Family members of both patients did not show any symptoms," officials said. Samples will be sent to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata, to detect the strain of bacteria.