BHUBANESWAR: Amid a worsening diarrhoea outbreak in at least three districts in the state, a central team of health experts arrived here on Saturday to support the containment efforts.
The outbreak that was first reported in Jajpur district five days back has been traced to the Vibrio cholerae bacterium. So far at least 15 persons, including 11 from Jajpur, three from Keonjhar and one from Bhadrak, have died in separate outbreaks. Three more samples tested positive for Vibrio cholerae, taking the total number of cases to 11. The official death toll, however, has been pegged at five.
The state government confirmed that 1,516 people in Jajpur district alone have been affected in the outbreak with 88 new cases. While 1,306 among them have recovered, 210 are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.
The 14-member central team, including four special food quality officials of Food Safety and Quality Authority of India (FSSAI), will visit the affected areas in separate groups on Sunday. One group led by regional director of Health and Family Welfare Dr Nilam Somalkar and accompanied by epidemiologist of Kolkata-based National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections (NIRBI) Dr Pramit Ghosh will take stock of the situation in the worst-hit Dharmasala in Jajpur district.
Another team comprising a paediatric specialist and a microbiologist from AIIMS Bhubaneswar and technical officer (microbiology) of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will tour other affected blocks.
Director of public health Dr Nilakantha Mishra said the team’s intervention is crucial as the exact source of contamination is yet to be ascertained, though early evidence suggests that unsafe drinking water might be a key factor.
The outbreak was first reported in the Dharmasala block of Jajpur district earlier this week. More than 100 residents from four villages fell ill after attending a community feast. Since then, additional clusters of diarrhoea cases have been reported from Korei, Danagadi and Rasulpur blocks, with all incidents linked to mass gatherings such as marriage and reception feasts, engagement ceremonies, and ‘Ekadasah’ (11th-day death rituals).
Officials said four water bottling plants operating in the district were supplying drinking water to event caterers. The district administration has shut down all four plants, suspecting their involvement in the contamination.