With confirmation of cholera infection in Palama panchayat in Kalyansinghpur block of Rayagada district, Odisha health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak reached the district on Monday to review the situation.
After holding a meeting with the district collector and concerned officials in Rayagada town, Mr Nayak directed them to ensure round-the-clock health care service and safe drinking water facility in the areas of Palama panchayat, where diarrhoea cases are being reported. He stressed upon need of increased awareness regarding safe drinking water and sanitation to check rise in these cases. Speaking to The Hindu, Siba Prasad Padhi, Additional District Medical Officer (ADMO) public health, of Rayagada district has confirmed death of two persons in Palama panchayat during this recent outbreak of diarrhoea. But private reports put claim death toll to be five. According to sources on Monday around 30 patients suffering from diarrhoea symptoms from this panchayat were under treatment.
Diarrhoea cases had started to emerge from Pidua, Palama and Chaluniguda villages of this panchayat from July 16. Five stool samples from Pidua village had been tested at the field unit of Regional Medical Research Centre in Rayagada. Two stool samples were found to be containing Vibrio cholerae pathogen that causes cholera. A team of experts of RMRC will soon visit the affected villages.
According to Dr Padhi, a medical treatment camp is functioning at Pidua village to check rise in cases of this water borne disease. Serious patients are being shifted to Kalyansinghpur Community Health Centre (CHC). Two medical teams are now making rounds of all other villages of Palama panchayat to make people aware about sanitation and consumption of safe water to check outbreak of diarrhoea and cholera. They are also trying to identify new patients as early as possible. “We are now sensitizing people living in this remote area to wash their hands before eating, drink boiled water and to enhance sanitation of their village especially near the water bodies”, said Dr Padhi. All tubewells and open wells are being chlorinated and families are being provided ORS and medicines for immediate use.
