The diarrhoea outbreak that has affected eight districts of Odisha has emerged as a grave concern for the state’s public health apparatus. In just over a week, the water-borne disease has swept across the regions, claimed at least 15 lives and left more than 1,500 people afflicted. Making the situation worse, several clusters have been found to be struck by the deadly Vibrio cholerae (cholera) bacterium. What started as a monsoon malady in Jajpur district, an industrial hub, is showing little signs of letting up. The state government has deployed rapid action teams involving senior health department officers. A central team is also on ground to support the state’s efforts. As it investigates the triggers behind the outbreak, the state’s BJP government is facing its major public health challenge as panic has set in after the loss of lives.
Cholera, sadly, has a long history in Odisha. Most of the outbreaks had been reported from the tribal-dominated southern districts that continue to grapple with economic backwardness, poor access to safe drinking water and sanitation awareness, coupled with patchy health services even seven decades after independence. However, the latest clusters point at the disease’s swift spread to urban and semi-urban areas along the coast. Public health data shows the existence of the deadly bacterium across the state, but such a massive outbreak in coastal pockets is new.
Preliminary reports suggest that the outbreak could have been caused by the consumption of locally packaged drinking water at community feasts, a possible source the state government must look closely at. These bottlers, who get to cater at public events primarily because of their low costs, fly under the radar of the food safety and quality surveillance system. It would also be prudent to look at recent public health research which points to large-scale antibiotic resistance in cholera cases. A review of the 2009 and 2017 outbreaks revealed that Odisha was one of the four states that had reported such growing resistance to cholera treatment. The state government must go all out to arrest the deteriorating situation that is threatening to spoil its first anniversary celebrations.