Diarrhoea Outbreaks In Six Odisha Districts, Death Toll Rises To 17, Over 2000 Affected

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

The death toll related to diarrhoea in Jajpur district in Odisha is increasing day by day. Official data said so far seventeen deaths have occurred due to diarrhoea, but unconfirmed reports indicated the toll will be much higher. Reports said over two thousand people have been affected with diarrhoea so far.The Odisha government has placed all 30 districts on high alert following diarrhoea outbreak that started from Jajpur district and has now spread to five other districts of the state.

Odisha Health Secretary  Aswathy S said a high alert has been sounded in all the thirty districts of Odisha following the outbreak of diarrhoea in Jajpur and adjoining districts. The Health Secretary said 300 fresh cases of diarrhoea have been reported in five most affected districts of the state and added that the patients were put under round the clock observation. The state health machinery is in constant touch with the central team. Odisha government said that the situation is not out of control as made out to be by some vested interest groups, but admitted that ten percent of those tested have cholera infection.

Meanwhile, the situation is going to be worse as diarrhoea is spreading to adjoining districts such as Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Keonjhar  and Dhenkanal. The Central Team currently investigating into the reasons for outbreak of diarrhoea in the above mentioned districts has now confirmed that intake of contaminated water is the main cause behind the epidemic. However, Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling had earlier said the cause of outbreak of diarrhoea was not identified, but guessed that it could be either due to contamination of water or eating rotten food or may be something else. Outbreak of diarrhoea started in the second week of this month in Jajpur district and soon catapulted into a major health crisis and is going to grip a major part of Odisha. Some reports even suggested about symptoms of cholera found with the affected persons.

Media reports said Dharmasala, Danagadi, Korei, Binjharpur  and Vyasanagar are most affected with diarrhoea. The local health infrastructure has failed to cope with the health emergency due to shortage of doctors and other health staff.Meanwhile, health teams have started sanitizing water sources such as overhead tanks particularly in rural areas of Jajpur district where the situation has gone from bad to worse. Media reports said more than one lakh water sources have been disinfected and the process is on a war footing. The Jajpur district administration has banned public feasts and shops selling fast food as a precautionary measures to put a break on the spread of diarrhoea. Doctors said those who are affected with cholera must be treated immediately as even slightest negligence can be risky.They said if a patient affected with cholera is not treated immediately, then he or she might die due to dehydration.

Odisha Government Response:

Although Odisha's Mohan Majhi government has come under severe criticism for not taking immediate measues to contain the spread of diarrhoea, the health department, although lately, has geared up activities in the form of awareness campaigns and setting up of detection centres in vulnerable areas for health check ups. Mobile medical teams have fanned out to different parts of Jajpur and other adjoining districts of the state to treat patients and distribute oral rehydration solution sachets. A large group of Acredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and Anganwadi workers have been roped in for disinfecting water sources. The central health team that visited Jajpur district recently to go into details what led to the spread of diarrhoea has submitted its full report on the matter. However, the team had come under severe criticism for underestimating the severity of the situation when multiple deaths have occurred. Meanwhile, the former chief minister and opposition leader Naveen Patnaik has come down heavily on Mohan Majhi government for not acting immediately to contain the spread of diarrhoea in most parts of the state. Patnaik has urged the government to remain vigilant and take appropriate measures to contain the outbreak of diarrhoea and prevent untimely death.

Possible Causes:

There have been allegations that the overhead tanks might have the primary cause of diarrohea infection as they were never cleaned since they were built. Most of the overhead tanks meant for storing potable water were not properly built either. One can see openings in the overhead tanks through which insects can enter inside and contaminate water. Although the government has claimed that nearly one lakh water sources have been cleaned and disinfected in a week in the affected districts, a lot more has to be done to ward off the crisis.

The mango season has also contributed to the outbreak of diarrhoea. During scorching heat, with the mercury rising upto 48 degree Celsius in most parts of Odisha, people in rural areas often prefer to eat ripe mangoes to stay cool. Villagers in most parts of Odisha believe that excessive intake of mango juice during summer season might have its repercussions in monsoon when rain comes. The seasonal change becomes detrimental for most people who suffer from dysentery and diarrhoea. The other reason of contamination of water sources and bodies might be the open defecation which is mostly done in rural regions of Odisha.

With Rath Yatra(Car Festival) round the corner, the outbreak of diarrhoea and cholera in most parts of Odisha has put the government machinery in a tight spot. As this religious festival is widely held in Odisha and attracts large number of devotees who throng roads to pull chariots and have darshan of Lord Jagannath,Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra, transmission level of diarrhoea could acquire epidemic proportions.