Odisha puts ULBs on alert as diarrhoea cases rise across districts

Bhubaneswar:Amid a rising number of diarrhoea cases across multiple districts, Odisha government Sunday issued an alert to all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and directed them to take swift preventive and response measures.

The Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Department released an urgent advisory instructing ULBs and district officials to step up monitoring, sanitise water sources, and coordinate closely with health teams to contain the outbreak.

Principal Secretary of the H&UD Department Usha Padhee called for heightened vigilance and real-time monitoring to ensure the sanitisation and safety of all water sources, especially in vulnerable urban areas.

Senior officers in charge of districts have been instructed to remain actively engaged with the situation on the ground and to promptly report any emerging clusters or unusual patterns of mass illness.

“We must act swiftly to safeguard communities and contain the spread,” Padhee said, emphasising the need for a coordinated field response in collaboration with the Health and Family Welfare Department.

The government has ordered the immediate inspection and sanitisation of drinking water sources, along with the identification of and rapid response to potential hotspots.

ULBs have been instructed to maintain close coordination with Health Department teams and ensure that field staff are sensitised, while also promoting community awareness of hygiene practices.

The department is also facilitating emergency water quality testing, intensified sanitation drives, and public awareness campaigns to prevent further outbreaks, particularly ahead of the monsoon season.

Citizens have been urged to remain alert, consume only safe drinking water, and report any symptoms to the nearest health facility or urban health officials without delay.

Meanwhile, acting on instructions from the Director General of Health Services under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a seven-member health team and a three-member food safety team arrived in Odisha on Saturday.

In addition, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has dispatched a special four-member food quality team.

These teams Sunday visited affected areas in Jajpur district and hospitals treating diarrhoea patients to assess the situation and provide recommendations to local officials, as well as to both the state and central governments, regarding the causes and prevention of the outbreak.

Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling also visited affected areas and hospitals in Jajpur to take stock of the situation.

So far, four people have died and more than 1,000 have been affected by diarrhoea in Jajpur district alone.

However, authorities have stated that the situation is improving, with the number of new patients showing a declining trend over the past two days.

UNI

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