Bhubaneswar: Amidst an outbreak of diarrhoea in some areas of Jajpur and Keonjhar districts, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Sunday directed the health department to take urgent measures to prevent its spread to neighbouring districts.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), all health facilities in the affected districts have been placed on high alert.
“Neighbouring districts have also been advised to remain vigilant. Disinfection of drinking water sources has begun in Jajpur, alongside a temporary ban on street food sales and intensified food safety inspections,” the statement added.
Adequate supplies of medicines have been ensured and medical teams have been deployed to contain the outbreak, the CMO said.
Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling is monitoring the situation through regular meetings with medical officers and administrative officials.
A team from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also arrived in Odisha to assist the state government in controlling the outbreak.
So far, seven people have died due to the outbreak in Jajpur district, which was first reported June 9, Additional District Medical Officer (ADMO) Prakash Chandra Bal said.
Out of 1,750 people diagnosed with diarrhoea in the district, 1,500 of them have recovered and about 250 are under treatment, officials said.
“The situation is yet to be brought under control. When no new patients are admitted to hospitals, we will be able to control it,” Director of Public Health Nilakantha Mishra said.
Adding to the worries, 11 diarrhoea patients also tested positive to cholera, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Bijay Mishra said.
A 14-member central team visited the district Sunday to assess the ground situation. The team visited some hospitals where diarrhoea patients have been admitted and held a meeting with the district administration.
Mahaling also visited various hospitals in Jajpur district and Anandpur hospital in Keonjhar district during the day and interacted with patients and doctors.
“It is a matter of concern for us that cholera has been detected in Jajpur. A team from SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack has been deployed in the district. We are trying to bring the situation under control,” he told reporters.
Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) teams are disinfecting drinking water sources in the district, while food inspectors and disease surveillance teams are also working to bring the situation under control, officials said.
ASHA and Anganwadi workers, and health workers have been supplied with halogen tablets and ORS packets for distribution among the people, they said.
People have been advised to take precautionary measures, avoid having outside foods, and adhere to hygienic practices, they said.
Diarrhoea cases have also been detected in parts of the Cuttack district, Astaranga area in Puri district and Bhuban NAC in Dhenkanal district, officials said.
Over 50 people were diagnosed with diarrhoea in Gholapur village in Cuttack, and 20 people were affected in Puri’s Astaranga.
Similarly, over 30 persons in Bhaban NAC have been affected with diarrhoea, they said.
In light of rising cases of diarrhoea, the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Department has directed all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and district-level officials to initiate immediate preventive and response measures.
Department principal secretary Usha Padhee has called for enhanced vigilance and real-time monitoring to ensure the sanitisation and safety of all water sources, with particular attention to vulnerable urban pockets.
Meanwhile, BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik accused the state government of taking the cholera outbreak lightly.
He said cholera has taken a serious turn in the districts of Jajpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Puri, Cuttack, and Keonjhar, and the outbreak appears to be spreading to other districts as well.
Taking to X, Patnaik wrote, “The state government’s light-handed approach to the cholera outbreak in Odisha is shocking and disturbing to everyone.”
“Cholera has endangered people’s lives. What had not been witnessed for many years is now disrupting life in various districts,” he wrote.
Claiming that 14 people have lost their lives due to the outbreak, Patnaik extended his condolences to the bereaved families.
He urged the state government to remain alert and take strong, immediate measures to curb the spread of the disease and protect public health.
PTI
