BHAWANIPATNA/UMERKOTE: Diarrhoea has claimed at least three lives and affected around 38 persons in Kalahandi and Nabarangpur districts. On Sunday, two persons died due to the water-borne disease at Nuapada village under Badkarlakot panchayat in Kalahandi’s Jaipatna block. They were identified as Kaibati Patra (65) and Suman Kachia (70).
Sources said 30 persons of the village were affected by diarrhoea in the last four days. While 16 of them have recovered, the rest are undergoing treatment in Jaipatna community health centre (CHC) and the district headquarters hospital (DHH) at Bhawanipatna.
Chief district medical officer (CDMO) of Kalahandi Ranjan Mitra said a health team is camping in the affected village. “The team has started contact tracing. All measures have been put in place to prevent the spread of the disease. The situation is under control,” he added.
Similarly in Nabarangpur, a woman of Sorisapadar village under Sirishi panchayat in Papdahandi block died due to diarrhoea on Sunday. She was identified as 45-year-old Tulabati Bhotra. Tulabati’s daughter Rupabati said her mother died after a bout of severe loose motion. Family members contacted the ambulance service when Tulabati became serious. However she succumbed before the ambulance could reach the village.
Sources said another eight persons of the village are critical. Among the critical patients is Tulabati’s husband Tankdhar Bhotra who was admitted to Nabarangpur DHH on Monday. CDMO Kali Prasad Behera said, “A medical team is camping in the village and keeping a round-the-clock watch on the situation. The affected persons are being treated by the health team there.”
Villagers showing symptoms of diarrhoea are being given preventive dose. The health team has collect faecal and water samples from the village and sent those for tests, Behera added.