Jajpur: A severe outbreak of diarrhoea has gripped Odisha's Jajpur district, claiming at least nine lives so far and infecting more than 500 people. The situation has raised alarm with the increasing number of patients from Jajpur Town, Korei, Danagadi, Dharmasala, Rasulpur, Vyasanagar, and Badachana.

The outbreak is suspected to be caused by food poisoning and the consumption of contaminated drinking water. The rapid spread has overwhelmed various community health centres, with patients being referred to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack due to lack of hospital beds in Jajpur.

At Jajpur District Headquarters Hospital and Jajati Keshari Medical College and Hospital, long queues of diarrhoea patients can be seen. Due to bed shortages, several patients are reportedly being treated on hospital verandahs.

Jajpur Collector P. Anvesha Reddy visited the District Headquarters Hospital to assess the situation and monitor the treatment facilities. Meanwhile, the State Health Department and district authorities have deployed special medical teams to the affected areas to investigate the root cause of the outbreak.

Director of Public Health, Dr Nilakantha Mishra, also visited Jajpur on Wednesday to review the ground situation. He confirmed that the diarrhoea outbreak is yet to come under control. He said that investigations are underway into the reported deaths, and the likely causes are being closely examined, particularly the role of contaminated food and drinking water.