JEYPORE: Health officials are on high alert after two persons reportedly tested positive for anthrax in Devighat village of Koraput block.
The patients have been kept in home isolation. Sources said a few residents of Devighat had allegedly consumed contaminated meat of a dead cow around 10 days back. After spores were found in six persons, local health workers rushed them to Mathalput community health centre (CHC) for treatment three days back.
Doctors suspected anthrax and alerted the district health administration. Soon, two medical teams from Koraput arrived at the village and checked the health condition of other villagers, including the relatives of the affected individuals. They distributed preventive medicines among 410 villagers.
The health staff also collected blood samples from six suspects after spores were found in their bodies. The suspects had consumed the contaminated meat. The samples were sent to the district laboratory in Koraput and state health laboratory in Bhubaneswar. The test results confirmed two positive cases.
Meanwhile, health agencies conducted awareness campaigns and have sanitised the village to prevent further spread of the disease. Sources said the condition of the affected persons is stable, and they have been sent back to their homes. Koraput district health public information officer MK Khatua informed that the health scenario in Devighat is normal and no new case has been detected yet.