Diarrhoea death toll in Odisha's Jajpur rises to 4

Bhubaneswar: The toll in the diarrhoea outbreak in Odisha's Jajpur district has increased to four with the report of two more patients succumbing to the disease, a health officer said on Thursday.

Speaking to media persons in Jajpur, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Prakash Chandra Bal said death of four persons has been reported while the number of diarrhoea-infected people remained around 300.

"The diarrhoea situation remains grim in the district as patient inflow continues into hospitals," Bal said.

Director of Public Health Nilakantha Mishra said diarrhoea cases were being reported from five places in the district—Dharamsala, Jajpur Road, Danagadi, Korei and Rasulpur.

While 30 to 40 patients have returned home after treatment, 20 to 30 new patients have been admitted on Thursday, he said.

About 30 critically ill patients are under treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack from the district, Mishra stated.

He said people started getting infected with diarrhoea since Monday after people ate food in the village feast on Saturday and Sunday.

"We are trying to identify the source of infection. We have sent water, street food, rectal and stool samples to the laboratory for testing," Mishra said.

The number of beds for patients in two hospitals in Jajpur has been increased by 200. Doctors and nursing staff from SCB Medical College, Cuttack and Jajpur Medical College have been posted in various hospitals in the district, the director said.

Usually, diarrhoea patients die due to dehydration. So it is very important to get treatment at the initial stage. Therefore, the health workers are going door to door to identify new patients and purify the source of water, he added.