Odishatv Bureau

Bhubaneswar: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Friday sought report from Odisha government on the deadly Japanese Encephalitis (JE) which so far has claimed 86 lives in Malkangiri district.
The Rights panel has asked Odisha Health secretary Arati Ahuja to submit a report on the steps taken by the government to contain the disease within 10 days.

“If the Commission fails to get the report within the stipulated period, we will summon the State government,” NCPCR member Yashwant Jain told OTV.

With the death of Sanju Madhi (2) of Korkonda Mundakhal village in the district, who was undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital (DHH) the death toll has reached 86 on Friday. Earlier in the day one more girl had breathed her last at the same hospital.

Meanwhile, despite media reports that the death toll due to the vector-borne disease mounted to 86, the State government on Friday put the figure at 27.

“A total of 74 death cases have been reported so far in the district. Of these 27 deaths are due to Japanese Encephalitis while 47 died of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), a mosquito-borne disease,” said Kailash Dash, Director, Health.

The official stated that 265 patients have been treated including 133 cases of JE and 132 of AES. He said, of them 173 patients have returned to home after treatment.

“The situation in the past three days is improving. We hope that it will be under control in the next two weeks,” Dash stated.

Sources said the expert team constituted by Odisha government has reached Malkangiri to take a stock of the situation.

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