Health department allays fears amid diarrhea outbreak in Sambalpur

The health department gave the assurance that there is no need to be concerned as the issue is under control after a few instances of diarrhea were discovered in Sambalpur city. Only five instances have been recorded lately, compared to the city’s 34 cases reported last month.

The chief district medical officer (CDMO), Sujata Rani Mishra, said at a news conference on Tuesday that there hasn’t been an epidemic in the city and that the cases that have been recorded from there are the result of isolated instances of food poisoning.

During the epidemic, 288 cases from Hirakud were recorded in total; 227 of those cases were from locations impacted by the outbreak, while 61 cases were intermittent and resulted in no deaths.

There isn’t an epidemic-like scenario in any other area of the district than Hirakud. Only the town of Hirakud was affected by the epidemic, which has since been contained. Our health professionals are keeping an eye out, collecting water samples for routine quality checks, and testing rectal swabs. I have total control over the issue, Mishra said.

The public was urged by the CDMO to be calm and make a few lifestyle adjustments to shield themselves from the effects. “Avoid street food, drink water from unknown sources, wash your hands frequently, eat hot food, and drink boiled and filtered water,” she said.

There have been a few isolated instances discovered in Sambalpur Town’s Danipali and Matru Vihar. The research indicated that the exposure may have been caused by contaminated food from parties, outdoor street sellers, hot temperature, hazardous health practices, and filthy activities, the department authorities told, even if these instances do not exactly satisfy the clinical case description of diarrheal diseases.

On March 21, the epidemic in Hirakud town was officially declared after 36 cases from five locales were recorded in a single day. The number of afflicted people continued to rise as a result, and the district health department moved quickly to stop the spread. In addition to testing water from the impacted regions, the PHED department also took action to fix the pipe leaks.

Eventually, on March 23, a patient passed away while receiving care. Four people have passed away while receiving treatment for diarrhea in the last ten days. Locals were alarmed by the announcement, but the district government confirmed on March 28 that pre-existing medical issues, not complications from diarrhea, were to blame for these deaths.

But even now, over two weeks later, the source of the epidemic remains unknown. Previously, it was thought that the culprit was supply water pollution. However, the PHED division refuted the allegations.