Bhubaneswar/Jajpur, June 14: The diarrhoea toll in Odisha’s Jajpur district rose to five with one more person succumbing to the disease, an official said on Saturday.
The Jajpur district administration has cancelled Raja festival holidays for government officials as fresh cases were reported from three different places.
“In view of the diarrhoea outbreak in different parts of the district, the holidays from June 14 to 16 are hereby cancelled. All offices in Jajpur district will remain open as usual and the services of employees will be utilised in case of exigency,” the order issued by the district collector said.
Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Prakash Chandra Bal said the diarrhoea toll rose to five with one more fatality reported on Friday.
Public Health Director Dr Nilakant Mishra said that of the 41 stool samples collected from patients, eight tested positive for cholera in Jajpur district. However, he said that the situation is under control due to widespread awareness, field-level prevention, and early detection and treatment.
Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, who reviewed the situation on Friday, directed the administrations of neighbouring districts to remain alert on the spread of the waterborne disease. He directed health authorities to step up measures to prevent and control the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, jaundice, malaria, and dengue after the onset of monsoon.
Ahuja also directed officials to complete sanitation work within ten days and make all programmes for prevention, control, and management of water and vector-borne diseases more proactive and targeted. He also suggested the district administration to conduct house-to-house surveys to detect diseases, increase beds in government hospitals, ensure proper treatment and provide necessary medicines and saline.
The chief secretary also directed the Health and Family Welfare department to use mobile health units to make people aware of the water-borne diseases.
Officials said that over 750 people across the district have been affected by water-borne disease in the last four days. Among them, nearly 300 patients are currently undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the district while as many as 450 patients have been discharged from their respective hospitals after treatment.
Stating that the situation is gradually improving, the CDMO said while over 450 patients have returned home after treatment in the last three days, around 20 new patients have been admitted on Friday. About 30 critically ill patients are under treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack from the district, he said. (PTI)
