BHUBANESWAR: With Japanese Encephalitis spreading its tentacles to coastal districts of Puri and Balasore, the spectre of the vector-borne disease looms large over the Capital City, given a good population of stray pigs present in most of the slums here.
Even as the rising death toll due to JE in worst hit Malkangiri district has kept the health administration on its toes, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) seems to have done little to prevent the disease from affecting the City kids.
Unclean environment, rampant open defecation, unhygienic living condition in most of 450-odd slum here, have remained unattended since their origin. With pigs and humans sharing close living places, the issue may turn deadly in case JE is reported in any part of the City.
According to a rough estimate the City has a pig population of around 50,000 and a sizable number is living in Salia Sahi which recently witnessed an outbreak of dengue. The areas which house both the vector and the host are extremely vulnerable to the deadly virus.
The stray pig menace has led to serious health concerns. Pigs are the carriers of JE and other worm infestations. In most slum pockets, the poor rear pigs for their livelihood. During the day, the pigs wander around the area and are attracted to heaps of garbage left unattended.
Small water bodies, that are being treated as garbage dump yards have turned into breeding grounds for pigs. Despite of an outbreak of JE in habitations close to pigpens, the BMC officials are yet to wake up from their deep slumber.
Contacted, Mayor AN Jena said, a team of officials including City Health Officer and Sanitation staff of BMC will visit the places prone to outbreaks of vector-borne diseases. “We will address the
root cause of the problem and also conduct awareness drives in a large scale from Saturday,” he added.