KENDRAPARA: A nine-year-old boy reportedly died of gastroenteritis at the district headquarters hospital here on Monday. The child was identified as Abhiram Behera, from Charipokharia village in Rajnagar block. The outbreak has affected several villages, with around 30 people, including 14 children, currently receiving treatment at various places.
Sources said, poor water management and an acute shortage of drinking water has hit Charipokharia, Kandira, and nearby villages hard. With many tube wells non-functional, villagers have been forced to drink from ponds and rivers, leading to widespread waterborne diseases.
Dr Rashmiranjan Mohanty, medical officer at Rajnagar community health centre, confirmed that preventive measures are being taken, including distribution of medicines and advisory to villagers to use boiled water.
“Preventive medicines were given to people who were also advised to consume the water after boiling. We have stocked sufficient medicines in the hospitals to treat the patients,” Mohanty added.