Malkangiri: While the death toll in Japanese Encephalitis in Malkangiri district has gone up to 90 with the death of three more children at the district headquarters hospital today, a 12-member team including seven experts of the state Health department and the Centre has arrived in the district today to take stock of the situation.
Soon after its arrival, the team went to Daniguda, Badali, Palakonda and Doriguda villages in four groups for a ground survey.
“We have come to these affected villages to find out the causes of the outbreak of the vector-borne disease. We are interacting with the ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, ANMs and the teachers. Since this is a preliminary survey, right now we cannot say about the exact cause of the outbreak of the disease. After the preliminary survey, we will have a scientific analysis,” Madan Mohan Pradhan, Joint Director, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) told media persons here.
Meanwhile, the Encephalitis death toll in the district went up to 90 with the death of three children at the district headquarters hospital. While two girl children— Debika Pujari (2) of Chitapari village under Korukonda block and Shalini Khara (2) of Kandel village under Kudumulgumma block— died earlier in the day, a two-year-old boy Adama Mutaki of Motu village under Padia block died in the afternoon.
Though the state government has been trying its best to trace out the factors responsible for the outbreak the disease, the killer disease has assumed alarming proportions and triggered panic in the district.
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Asked about the steps taken by the Health department, Director, Health Services, Dr Kailash Chandra Das said the intensity and the dimension of the disease will be brought under control with the onset of winter. “The disease is gradually brought under control. We hope that it will be completely brought under control in two weeks,” he added.
Meanwhile, urging the Centre to declare Japanese Encephalitis a national calamity and demanding compensation of Rs 5 lakh to each family of the children who have died of the disease, members of Maa Ghara, a NGO, took out a rally in Malkangiri town. Later, a delegation of the NGO submitted a memorandum to the district collector.