Kandhamal diarrhea outbreak: 9 including pregnant woman killed in 4 days, several taken ill

Several people have been taken ill while nine people have lost their lives in a span of four days following a diarrhea outbreak in rural villages under the Durgapanga panchayat of Kotagarh block in Kandhamal district. The situation is so grim that medical teams were spotted giving salines under trees in the villages. 

“Health teams have already rushed to the villages to take stock of the situation. We are doing our best,” informed a local CHC officer. 

The waterborne disease has been rapidly spreading in remote villages of Kanibaru, Badipanga, Dimili and Bhandarasal under the Durgapanga panchayat, resulting in numerous hospitalizations.

Most of the affected persons hailing from inaccessible villages and belonging to below poverty lines are battling for their lives at their thatched homes. At least nine people including a pregnant woman have allegedly succumbed to the illness in the past four days, although officials have not confirmed these deaths as diarrhea-related.

With no financial help, many villagers are receiving treatment from local seers and depending on medicinal plants for treatment. Health teams recently visited the affected villages and carried out sanitation work.

The team has collected samples of water, food, and other items and sent them for analysis.

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“The condition is stable now and there have been no reports of any casualty as of now. A medical team visited the villages and administered the necessary medications. Till now, five deaths have been reported officially. However, there has been a drop in casualties since yesterday,” informed Durgapanga CHC doctor George Deepak Durgadatan.