Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 7: District after district, jaundice is spreading its tentacles across the state with the health department now announcing 3,765 patients have been affected by the disease in a span of five months, with 32 deaths.
Bolangir district in Western Orissa has now entered the list of jaundice-affected areas and has recorded one death with seven patients reportedly in a critical condition admitted to the district headquarters hospital. More than 50 patients have been diagnosed with the disease in a span of 13 days
“Contaminated water is a big problem in Bolangir, and is the reason behind the jaundice outbreak,” public health director Kailash Das explained. “After the outbreak was reported, we sent a team of experts and found that a sewerage leak had led to the contamination of piped drinking water which proved fatal for some,” Das added.
According to the health department, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Auxiliary Nurse and Midwives (ANM) were deputed in affected areas in the town to distribute halogen tablets and carry awareness activities.
Recently, Patnagarh, an area close to Bolangir, has witnessed sporadic cases of jaundice. Nearly 75 persons were affected by the disease within a short period. Health experts found the deadly Hepatitis E virus among those diagnosed with jaundice.
“District authorities have been asked to stop piped water supply and find alternative ways. People need to be aware of the sources of the disease and need to stay alert with preventive measures like drinking boiled water,” Das said.
Sambalpur still remains the worst-affected by the disease in terms of numbers, with nearly 3,010 people afflicted by jaundice and 29 deaths. It was followed by Cuttack with 222 patients and one casualty, while Puri had 187 cases of the outbreak and one casualty while Jajpur reported 152 cases with no casualties.
