It’s Chicken Pox & Not An Unknown Disease In Koraput, Says Odisha Public Health Director After Minister’s Review Meeting

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling on Monday held a meeting with district Collectors of Angul, Rayagada and Sambalpur to take stock of reported outbreak of diphtheria, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and chicken pox cases in these districts.

The online meeting was attended by Public Health Director Dr Nilakantha Mishra, senior officers of Health and Family Welfare Department (H&FW) Department, DPH, Odisha, DHS, Odisha, and district officials from all three districts.

Mahaling asked the officials to remain vigilant and enhance fever surveillance besides ensuring proper potable water supply to the affected areas and full immunisation in diphtheria-affected areas.

The Minister was informed that no new diphtheria cases have been reported from Rayagada, Koraput and Kalahandi in the last ten days and the situation is under control. “The district collector was instructed to see that clean drinking water is supplied to every house while the Rural Development Department has been asked to repair and construct roads which is being done under MNREGA,” the Minister said after the meeting.

Likewise, of the 82 jaundice cases investigated in Sambalpur, 39 were found to be suffering from Hepatitis-A. The Food Security Department has been instructed to be on guard. However, the source of the infection is yet to be detected. “The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation has been asked to prepare a new DPR for potable water supply to each house. WATCO has also been instructed to change the pipelines in Kumarpada and Balibadi. If required, I will go to Sambalpur to see if the work is being done properly,” said Mahaling.

Clarifying on the suspected JE cases in Angul, Mahaling said it is JE or some other disease will be known only after the test reports are received. “The situation is under control and there are no new cases reported,” he said.

Busting fears of an unknown disease taking residents of Narayanpatna in Odisha’s Koraput into its grip, Dr Nilakantha Mishra told media after the meeting that from the photographs it looks like chicken pox and there is no report of any death as yet.

However, he expressed concern over the recent diphtheria deaths in the state and informed that efforts are on to arrest the transmission of the disease and ensure that the vaccination team reaches the affected areas. “We had meetings with all the three district collectors and they have been asked to control the situation by correcting the flaws if any. They were asked to ensure that the health team reaches out to people in affected areas and vaccinate them,” he said.