Central team to visit Jajpur to take stock of cholera situation
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Bhubaneswar/Kendrapada: As the health department works on a war footing to control the cholera situation in Jajpur district and some places in Bhadrak, Keonjhar and Cuttack districts, a 14-member health team from the Centre will visit Jajpur on Sunday to take stock of the situation.
Dr Nilakantha Mishra, director of public health, Odisha, said, "The team will go to the cholera-affected sites, study the problems, and help us in tackling the situation."
He said under the direction of director general of health services (DGHS), a seven-member health team and a three-member food safety team will visit the affected areas. A four-member independent food quality team has been sent by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India too, he added.
"These teams will visit the affected areas, assess the public health situation, and provide necessary recommendations to field-level officers, state, and central govts regarding the causes and solutions," said Mishra.
The death toll reached 11 unofficially in the district with the death of an affected man, Ghanashyam Prusti, 72, of Tarailo village under Danagadi block in Jajpur district. He died on Friday night at the community health centre (CHC), Anandapur, in neighbouring Keonjhar district.
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Misra said 1,306 out of total 1,516 people suffering from diarrhoea have recovered. Doctors are hopeful that the remaining 200 people will recover soon, he added.
Panic gripped many affected villages on Saturday after the health department found cholera bacteria in stool samples of affected persons. The district administration on Saturday advised the people not to organise any community feast in the district during the three-day Raja festival from Saturday to Monday to check spread of cholera and diarrhoea.
"We have directed officials of the rural water supply and sanitation (RWSS) wing to replace damaged pipelines to supply drinking water and repair and disinfect all tubewells and wells," said collector (Jajpur) P Anvesha Reddy. She also advised people to drink only boiled water and not to consume unhygienic food. She emphasised the importance of providing fresh water through tankers in affected areas and instructed officials to ensure adequate supply of intravenous fluids and ORS packets for patients.
The authorities on Saturday sealed a water bottling plant in Vyasanagar locality as it was running illegally without govt permission. "We collected water samples from the plant and sent the samples to our laboratory in Bhubaneswar for testing. After getting the report, we will take proper action against the plant," said RWSS executive engineer, Rashmi Ranjan Mardha.
He said they are disinfecting ponds, tube wells, wells, and other water sources in the district.
"We are also providing drinking water through tankers in many affected villages," he added.
Dr Bijay Kumar Mishra, chief district medical and public health officer, Jajpur, said the outbreak started on June 9 evening. "Around 2,500 people consumed food in a community feast at a place in Jajpur district. That might have contributed something to the outbreak. Other reasons might be there. If we analyse the hospital admission statistics on Saturday, we can say the situation is coming under control," he added.
He said food and water samples have been sent for testing too, apart from rectal swabs.
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