KORAPUT: Anthrax has claimed three lives and affected two more in Dhaiguda village under Dasmantpur block in the last one week.
Locals said three cattle had died in the village two weeks back and some villagers had consumed its beef. The people who had consumed the meat fell ill with three of them succumbing last week. The deceased are Jilima Saunta, Ansu Jani and Siba Saunta of the village.
Two days back, a group of social workers informed the doctors of Koraput Hospital about the deaths and a health team visited the village on Sunday. The team found anthrax spores in blood samples of two of the affected persons. On Monday, another medical team visited the village and again collected blood samples of all the residents of the village to ascertain presence of anthrax spores in their blood.
Koraput ADMO (Public Health) Arun Padhi said condition of the affected persons is stable and blood samples have been sent to Bhubaneswar for test.
This, apparently, is not the first instance of anthrax deaths in Koraput this year. Seven tribals have died and 80 others affected by the disease in the last three months in different blocks of the district.