Berhampur: The health department Thursday claimed that the diarrhoea situation in Odisha’s Ganjam district has improved and is now under control.
The water-borne disease had broken out at Damapur village under Sanakhemundi block, claiming the lives of three persons, while four others were admitted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur for treatment, officials said.
“The situation is under control and no fresh case has been reported in the last two days in the village,” Pramod Kumar Prusty, additional district magistrate (ADM), Ganjam, said.
Prusty, along with Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Dr. Sukant Kumar Nayak and several other officials, visited the village and interacted with the affected families.
“The patients, who were undergoing treatment at MKCG Medical College and Hospital, have been discharged. There is no patient in the village,” claimed Nayak.
The district administration has provided financial assistance of Rs 20,000 to the families of each of the deceased from the District Red Cross Fund.
In addition, Rs 3,000 was provided under the Harish Chandra Sahayata Yojana to help with the last rites, the ADM said.
Three persons, including a 45-year-old, had died and seven others fell ill in the village due to the disease in the village, sources said.
Ruling out diarrhoea as the direct cause of death, Dr. Nayak suggested that it might have been due to suspected food poisoning after consuming wild mushrooms.
“During our interaction with the villagers, some patients said they suffered from loose motion and vomiting after consuming mushrooms collected from a nearby forest,” Nayak said.
He added that samples from water sources and affected people have been collected and sent for laboratory testing to confirm the exact cause of the illness and deaths.
A medical team is currently stationed in the village, providing treatment and conducting awareness campaigns on personal hygiene.
Meanwhile, a BJD delegation Thursday visited the affected village and took stock of the situation.
PTI
