BHUBANESWAR : Even as mercury level continues to soar, Odisha has recorded around 49 cases of heat-related illnesses till April 20 (Sunday), informed the Health and Family Welfare department on Monday.
Public health director Dr Nilakantha Mishra said basing on the reports received from different districts, Sambalpur has recorded the highest 40 cases of heat-related illnesses, followed by Deogarh at six, and Khurda, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar at one each.
He, however, clarified that none of these cases was related to heat stroke nor the patients required hospital admission. “Most of these cases are pertaining to headache or other similar symptoms of heat exhaustion,” Dr Mishra said.
Odisha has been recording a gradual rise in temperature for the last three days. Meanwhile, in view of the Met officials’ forecast that the day temperature in parts of the state is likely to go up further by 3 to 5 degree Celsius in the next three days, Dr Mishra urged people to avoid excessive sun exposure during peak heat hours and take adequate precautions while stepping out of their homes during the daytime.
“Guidelines have already been issued to the district headquarters hospitals (DHHs) and other tertiary facilities for necessary arrangements at their level to effectively deal with cases pertaining to heat-related illnesses and heat stroke,” Dr Mishra informed.
Health officials said all DHHs and sub-divisional hospitals have dedicated beds for treatment of patients suffering heatstroke or heat-relate illness. The government has also deployed rapid response teams at district and block levels to face challenges of heat-related emergencies, they added.