Jajpur: Cholera (Vibrio cholerae) outbreak in Jajpur district shows no signs of abating, with 16 more patients testing positive for the disease, health officials said Wednesday. Meanwhile, two more persons died of diarrhoea, taking the total death toll to 20. A woman Tuja Samad, 25, under ward-25 in Vyasanagar Municipality area, succumbed to the disease at Jajpur Road Hospital Tuesday night. She was afflicted with the disease four days back and was admitted to the Jajpur Road Hospital.
Later, a one-year-old child identified as Sujanik Murmu from Nahaka under Ward no. 13 in Vyasanagar Municipality died of diarrhoea Tuesday. The outbreak, which initially affected mostly adults, is now spreading among children and adolescents. A central team monitoring the situation confirmed that 16 out of 49 fresh stool samples tested positive for cholera, an infection rate of about 33 per cent. With these new cases, the total number of confirmed cholera patients in the district has risen to 27.
Earlier, 11 people had tested positive for the disease. Though the number of new and hospitalised patients is not surging dramatically, the sustained fatalities have become a growing concern for the Health Department. Officials and observers admitted that the department’s response to the outbreak has not been adequate so far. The Central Team has indirectly acknowledged that the spread of cholera is linked to the consumption of contaminated water and food. As of Tuesday, 174 patients were undergoing treatment in various hospitals across the district.
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On the other hand, 104 new patients were admitted, of whom nine in critical condition were referred to other facilities Wednesday. Meanwhile, 117 patients have recovered and returned home after their discharge from hospitals. Observers have pointed out that timely public awareness and closer scrutiny of water and food quality could have prevented this crisis. District Collector P Anvesha Reddy is now overseeing an aggressive response to control the spread, officials said.
