At least five persons died due to suspected diarrhoea at Tikiri and Dhudukabahal villages under Kashipur block in Rayagada district in just two days, leaving the district administration on its toes and villagers in a state of panic.
However, a team of the Health department visited the affected villages to take stock of the situation.
The severity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that three persons from Jhadia Sahi of Tikiri village died within just a few hours. While one of them succumbed on road to the hospital, the rest two died at their respective houses. Yesterday, two persons of Tikiri and nearby Dhudukabahal panchayats had died due to the same reason.
With over 17 people from four panchayats including Tikiri and Dhudukabahal undergoing treatment at Kashipur and Tikiri hospitals, a kind of fear has gripped the villagers.
“Despite taking medicines, three patients died today, causing fear among us,” said a local resident.
Meanwhile, an 11-member team of the Health department visited Tikiri village today. The team members, after carrying out health check up of affected people, sent them to the nearby hospital and disinfected the water sources in the village.
The team also collected blood samples from affected villagers and water from the sources. The Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO), Rayagada, Dr Lalmohan Routray said, “The preliminary examination has revealed that the water has been contaminated. The collected samples will be sent to RMRC, Bhubaneswar for confirmation.”
Meanwhile, Sub Collector, Rayagada, Bhimsen Sabar assured they are working to contain the spread of the disease.
“A medical team has camped here and is carrying out tests of all the villagers. Those down with the infection are also being taken care of. We are trying our level best to stop the disease from spreading further,” said Sabar.
Notably, while around over 40 people of Kashipur block lost their lives to the disease in 2007, six people had died in 2017.