Conjunctivitis Spreads To More Dists In Odisha; AIIMS Expert Issues Advisory

Bhubaneswar: With conjunctivitis spreading to more districts in Odisha, expert in contagious diseases in AIIMS, Bhubaneswar on Thursday issued an advisory for the people to prevent the infection.

According to sources in Health and Family Welfare department, the air-borne disease has taken Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Rayagada and Kendrapada under its grip. It has assumed acute proportion particularly in Rayagada district.

While hundreds of new patients are reported daily in the last few days, the disease has been spreading fast among the children. The boarders in different government schools are mostly affected, the sources said.

Speaking on conjunctivitis, Dr Ashutosh Biswas, Executive Director, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar said besides being air-borne, the disease spreads mostly due to personal contact. It usually subsides in 4 to 5 days but takes 2-3 weeks for complete recovery.

He advised the people to follow these preventive steps:

• Avoid rubbing and touching your eyes in case of irritation
• Avoid using personal items of infected persons like handkerchief, towels, pillows etc
• Infected persons should remain isolated
• In mild cases, wash the eyes with normal water frequently for relief
• Take the medicines and apply eye drops on the advice of doctors
• Avoid self-medication