Fear of Diphtheria Outbreak Sparks Panic in Odisha’s Southern Districts

 Bhubaneswar: With the recent death of an 11-year-old child allegedly due to diphtheria at Kumbhariput in Odisha’s Koraput district, people of villages bordering Rayagada and Koraput districts are living in panic.

According to reports, diphtheria is spreading tentacles in Koraput and Kalahandi after it was first noticed in Kashipur area in Rayagada district earlier this month. A total of 21 cases of bacterial infection have been reported from these three districts so far.

Samples have been sent for examination while special health teams are conducting surveillance and taking other precautionary measures.

As per reports, diphtheria has claimed lives of five in the state so far. As many as 15 cases have been reported in Rayagada, one in Koraput and remaining four to five cases in Kalahandi. The condition of the one case reported from Koraput is said to be critical. The overall situation in Rayagada district is said to be stable.

Anti-diphtheria serum has been brought and they have been given to the infected persons. A World Health Organisation (WHO) team along with health department officials are visiting villages in the affected districts of the state. The health department officials have urged people to use masks as a precautionary measure.

As per reports, a health department team has conducted tests on 949 persons and collected samples from 15 persons following some symptoms.

Odisha family welfare director Dr Sanjukta Sahu on Saturday said the source of the infection was not Rayagada but some other place. She said the disease might have spread from the neighbouring Kalahandi district.

“The 11-year-old girl who recently died soon after being admitted to hospital weighed just 15 kilograms. It seems the disease started spreading from a submerged area of the Indravati project in Kalahandi where there are 25 hamlets,” said Dr Sahu.

The health department is carrying out surveillance in Kalahandi and Koraput districts. So far, the vaccination of booster dose has been completed in 13 villages of Manuspadar area under Kashipur block. As many as 468 children have been vaccinated with a booster dose.

Since the latest victim weighed 15 kilograms, the Health department sources said that an investigation is underway to confirm whether it was a case of malnutrition.

“We have not got any new cases of infection. The first infected patient was an elderly person. The children had gone to him, leading to the spread of the disease,” said state public health director Dr Nilakantha Mishra.