Odisha Health Dept confirms diarrhoea outbreak in Digapahandi block

Bhubaneswar: The diarrhoea outbreak reported from Ustapalli village in Digapahandi block of Ganjam district has been brought under complete control through coordinated field-level interventions and awareness drives, informed the state health department on Tuesday.

The department claimed that the infection, which had started sporadically on July 6, was contained before it could spread further, thanks to door-to-door surveillance and swift medical response.

As per an official statement, the Director of Public Health, Dr. Nilakantha Mishra, on Tuesday, noted that 11 cases were reported from Ustapalli village between July 6 and the afternoon of July 8.

However, no new cases have been reported from the village on Tuesday.

Of these 11 affected patients, six have been referred to MKCG Medical College & Hospital in Berhampur, and five were treated at Digapahandi Community Health Centre (CHC).

Meanwhile, five patients from MKCG have been discharged after recovery till Tuesday afternoon. One five-year-old child with respiratory issues is receiving additional treatment. All five patients treated at the Digapahandi CHC have also been discharged after full recovery.

The department also denied the claims regarding the deaths of two patients due to diarrhoea. The department stated that preliminary investigations have ruled out diarrhoea as the cause of the death of the patients in both cases.

It was ascertained after post-mortem that one of the deceased, Das Sabar, 70, who died at home on July 3, was suffering from melena (black stools caused by gastrointestinal bleeding).

On the other hand, preliminary investigations suggest the death was not diarrhoea-related and that he had some pre-existing conditions.

Despite the outbreak being contained, both the Health & Family Welfare Department and the Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department have instructed all field officials to continue awareness drives and regular chlorination and sanitation measures to prevent recurrence.

Notably, outbreaks of diarrhoea were reported across various districts of the state last month, resulting in several deaths.

–IANS