Odisha’s Malkangiri on high alert after diphtheria detected in Class 4 boy

The Malkangiri district health administration is on high alert after a Class 4 boy tested positive for diphtheria in a village under Kalimela block. The minor boy has been shifted to Koraput SLN Medical College and Hospital for better treatment.

Meanwhile, a medical team rushed to Chitrangpalli Residential School where he studies and checked on the health conditions of other students. Blood samples of at least six students have been collected and sent for lab testing. Most of the students are currently kept under observation, sources said.

According to sources, the boy identified as Shiba Madkami first suffered from fever. Family members admitted him to a hospital in Malkangiri after his condition deteriorated. After preliminary treatment, he was shifted to Koraput Medical College and Hospital.

Upon blood test, he was confirmed to have tested positive for diphtheria.

Meanwhile, a special team of doctors from the public health department in Bhubaneswar visited Malkangiri and Koraput to study the case. The medical teams have been directed to do a house-to-house survey and verify the vaccination status.

Worth mentioning, diphtheria is a highly contagious infection that can prove fatal if left untreated. It first affects the nose and throat and sometimes the skin. The disease can lead to breathing, heart rhythm problems and even death. It is spread mainly by coughing, sneezing, or through close contact with someone who is infected and material objects used by the person already contracted diphtheria.

Notably, at least five people have reportedly lost their lives due to the deadly disease in Odisha in the month of June this year.