SAMBALPUR: Jaundice seems to have raised its ugly head in Sambalpur district after remaining dormant for a few weeks as it claimed two more lives in the last few days.
With the death of Tiku Nag of Daleipada in Sambalpur city due to jaundice on Friday, the death toll has gone up to 20. Another person had died in Rairakhol sub-division four days back.
Of 88 blood samples collected on Friday, 32 tested jaundice positive while 21 among them were identified as Hepatitis E patients and four samples had Hepatitis A virus. Five of the patients have been admitted to District Headquarters Hospital.
Besides, five fresh cases of jaundice were reported from a private nursing home in the city and another at VSS Medical at Burla. So far, the total cases of jaundice have gone up to 2,468 including 1,566 cases reported from the District Headquarters Hospital.
The civic body has, meanwhile, asked the owners of roadside eateries to obtain licence from the Sambalpur Corporation immediately failing which, they will not be allowed to operate.
Collector Balwant Singh said fresh Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities will be undertaken once the schools reopen after winter vacation
so that the administration can reach out to more number of households through students.
He said 350 PVC tanks have already been installed to provide safe drinking water while PHD has been asked to prepare an estimate for installation of 100 temporary toilets in the area. He said this is in addition to the massive sanitation drive that is underway in the city.
Last month, the Health Department had claimed that there was a drop in incidence of the disease from around 50 per cent of the cases to 30 per cent and the outbreak was being gradually brought under control.
However, health experts had sounded caution stating that the decline in cases cannot be considered to be end of the outbreak.