BHUBANESWAR: With the diarrhoea outbreak continuing to sweep across eight districts in Odisha, the state government on Tuesday stepped up emergency response measures, deploying 20 mobile health teams for treatment and door-to-door awareness campaigns.
Though the outbreak has reportedly claimed 21 lives, with four deaths reported on the day, officials of the Health department put the toll at 11. Authorities said the remaining cases are under verification. The number of affected people has also gone up to 2,200, as per official records.
Health department officials said four teams of specialists, comprising senior health officials, experts from various wings and health advisors have been deployed in worst-hit Bhuban, Banki, Dharmasala, Badachana and Bhandaripokhari blocks in Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Jajpur and Bhadrak districts respectively.
Teams from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), World Health Organisation (WHO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Food Safety department, AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, AIIHPH-Kolkata and National Institute of Research in Bacterial Infection (NIRBI), Kolkata are on the ground to study the outbreak and assist with laboratory tests and technical guidance.
While 11 stool samples have tested positive for Vibrio cholerae, the government is yet to pinpoint the exact cause of the outbreak even a week after it began. The delay in releasing food and water sample test results has raised concerns among public health experts. Local officials, however, attributed the outbreaks to community feasts, contaminated drinking water and consumption of overripe mangoes.
Chief secretary Manoj Ahuja reviewed the situation in Jajpur, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Cuttack and Dhenkanal districts at Lok Seva Bhawan here. Directing the collectors to scale up awareness activities and ensure water quality monitoring, he stressed the need for coordinated action to prevent further casualties.
As per the latest data, 429 patients including 82 in Keonjhar, 64 in Jajpur, 145 in Cuttack, 65 in Dhenkanal and 73 in Bhadrak, were admitted to hospitals on Tuesday alone. While 370 patients are currently undergoing treatment, 15 critically ill have been referred to SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack.
“Both central and state agencies are working in coordination to control the spread. Additional medical supplies and teams of doctors have been sent to the affected areas. State-level teams have intensified field visits to supervise health interventions,” Ahuja said.
In Jajpur district, where the outbreak is severe, the National Health Mission (NHM) has deployed 40 mobile health teams including eight medical specialists. They have organised 45 mobile health camps to ensure immediate outreach and medical support.
So far, over 40 lakh halogen tablets, six lakh ORS packets, 400 packets of bleaching powder and 3.4 lakh doxycycline tablets have been distributed across affected areas. District officials have been directed to intensify purification of wells, tube wells and public water sources.