Fani impact: Odisha issues diarrhoea alert

The health and family welfare department of the government of Odisha issued a diarrhoea alert in five coastal districts which were worst hit by the May 3 extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani.

These five districts are Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur. “The Collectors of these five districts have already been directed to remain in high alert and take adequate steps to check the spread of the disease”, a senior official in the health department said on Friday.

Government sources said the health department issued high alert after sporadic cases of diarrhoea were reported from Bramahgiri and Puri town in Puri district as well as pockets of the capital city Bhubaneswar which is part of Khurda district. Both Puri and Bhubaneswar, known as temple cities of Odisha were severely affected by Fani. The cyclone had its landfall in Puri, located about 60 km from the state capital.

Apart from alerting the collectors, additional doctors, paramedical staff and medicines have already been sent to the five districts. “The diarrhoea situation is absolutely under control. There is nothing to be panicked about”, said a health department official.

At present 74 teams of doctors and 234 paramedics are deployed in all the cyclone-affected districts. In addition to this, 20 doctors and 200 paramedics have been placed into the service in Puri and Khurda districts.

The residents of the capital city blamed the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation(BMC) for the outbreak of diarrhoea in part of the city. “The BMC failed to lift the garbage for several days after Fani hit the city. And that is the reason why there has been an outbreak of diarrhoea in some pockets of the city”, said Saroj Mishra of Nayapalli area.