Diarrhoea outbreak: Medical team to inspect drinking water purification system in Hirakud

On the heels of a diarrhoea outbreak in Sambalpur’s Hirakud, the special medical team from Bhubaneswar will inspect the water purification system in the town on Monday.

The medical team is scheduled to collect samples of drinking water from the purification centre and send it to the lab for test.

As per reports, the cumulative figure of diarrhoea-infected patients in Hirakud reached 172 on Monday. With no substantial increase in new patients in Hirakud Hospital, it may be said that the diarrhoea situation is gradually coming under control.

Doctor Pravas Debta from Sambalpur, who had come to Hirakud four days back, also got infected with diarrhoea after consuming water here.

Speaking to OTV, Debta said, “I came here (Hirakud) for some work. But after a few days, I felt something wrong in my abdomen. I had all the symptoms of diarrhoea. I got admitted to the hospital for two days and recovered.”

“After recovery, I came to the hospital to speak with other patients and they all had the same symptoms like lose motion, vomiting and rapid dehydration,” Debta said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the state government is yet to make any statement on the source of contamination. However, the ground reality indicated leaked and damaged pipes laid by the Public Health Department (PHD) to be the primary reason behind in the outbreak.

A social worker in Hirakud said, “The PHD authorities should know about the damaged pipes and repair them accordingly. But they evidently failed to provide safe drinking water to us. But I would like to thank the Health Department and the doctors here who treated the patients who came in large numbers in this small CHC.”