The suspected cause of the outbreak is the consumption of contaminated drinking water. The affected areas are reportedly facing an acute potable water crisis, an official said.
Representative Image (IANS)
An outbreak of diarrhoea has claimed at least two lives and affected over 500 people in Odisha’s Jajpur district, prompting state health authorities to launch an emergency response to contain the spread of the disease.
The suspected cause of the outbreak is the consumption of contaminated drinking water. The affected areas are reportedly facing an acute potable water crisis, an official said.
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Medical teams have been deployed in the affected and surrounding regions, including Dharmasala, Byasanagar Municipality, Danagadi, Rasulpur, and Korei block.
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State and district health authorities are working in coordination, with intensified field-level actions under the direct supervision of Health Secretary Aswathy S, the official added.
Director of Public Health Services, Dr Nilakantha Mishra, stated that all patients and sporadic cases in adjoining areas are being treated by Rapid Action Teams constituted at the district level.
In addition, two Rapid Action Teams from the state—comprising medical officers, microbiologists, epidemiologists, and the Joint Director of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme—have reached the area and begun field operations in coordination with the Chief District Medical and Public Health Officer, Jajpur.
Specialists from Maharaja Jajati Keshari Medical College and Hospital are overseeing the treatment of critical patients. Six medicine specialists from SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, have also been deputed to Jajpur.
The infected individuals are receiving treatment at Dharmasala, Jajpur Road, and Danagadi Community Health Centres (CHCs), as well as the District Headquarters Hospital, Jajpur. Critical patients are being shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack.
To manage the situation, the district hospitals have been equipped with additional manpower, sufficient stocks of medicines, saline, injections, and other essential supplies. The Superintendent of SCB Medical College has been instructed to ensure proper care for referred patients.
Meanwhile, Rural Water and Sanitation Scheme (RWSS) teams are disinfecting drinking water sources. Food inspection and disease surveillance teams are actively working on the ground.
Grassroots-level service providers, including health sub-centres, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and multi-purpose health workers, have been supplied with halogen tablets, ORS packets, medicines, and awareness materials for community distribution.
Mass awareness campaigns are being carried out through public announcements using loudspeakers by the district administration to prevent further spread of the waterborne disease.
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