At least 127 patients were infected with 'diarrhoea' in Sambalpur’s Hirakud in the last two days, informed the Medical Officer In-Charge of Hirakud CHC on Saturday.
As per reports, 33 out of the 127 were admitted to hospital out of which 15 were shifted to VIMSAR, Burla after their condition deteriorated.
The Medical Officer In-Charge said, “36 patients were admitted on March 21. 42 patients came on March 22 out of which 25 were admitted to hospital. Five serious patients were referred to Burla. 49 patients have come today till now.”
“Higher authorities are testing for a possible water contamination after which the cause of the disease will be ascertained. As far as the symptoms are concerned, it is massive dehydration due to multiple episodes of diarrhoea and vomiting. It can cause due to bacterial infection through water. I have heard about one death due to diarrhoea at Burla hospital,” the doctor said.
Sources said, the patients who came to the hospital are seriously dehydrated; so much so that it gets difficult to even get their pulse.
A team of doctors from Burla will reportedly visit Hirakud today to examine the suspected diarrhoea situation in the area.
It is pertinent to mention here that a similar diarrhoea outbreak in Rourkela had claimed six lives in December last year.
The deaths were caused by vibrio cholerae bacterium as well as E. coli, said Rourkela municipal commissioner Subhankar Mohapatra citing reports of 39 patients. He said the reports did not mention any specific strain, adding that both infections were caused by contaminated food or water.