Odisha govt sends rapid response team, microbiologist to diarrhoea-hit Rourkela

Priya Ranjan Swain Published On : Dec 16, 2023 at 8:50 PM

Bhubaneswar: The Health department in Odisha has deputed a team of experts to Rourkela amid reports of diarrhoea outbreak in the Steel City.

A two-member team from the capital city here has been sent to Rourkela to take stock of the situation and coordinate with the doctors and paramedics deployed for treatment of the diarrhoea patients, said Odisha Public Health Director Niranjan Mishra.

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“The Health department has directed the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) in Sundargarh to send a rapid response team to Rourkela. The team will find out the reason behind the diarrhoea outbreak. A microbiologist has also been stationed in the affected areas to monitor the situation,” Mishra added.

According to him, as many as six teams of doctors and paramedics have been deployed in the affected areas to treat the diarrhoea patients.

“The health teams have sufficient medicines to deal with the situation. At least 140 cases of diarrhoea have been reported from Rourkela and its nearby areas. As per our information, a total of 103 patients were admitted to the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH). There are reports that four persons have died of the disease. But, we are yet to get confirmation in this regard from our field-level officials,” Mishra added.

Notably, four persons, including three women, have died of diarrhoea in Panposh and Udit Nagar areas of Rourkela in last two days. Besides, over a hundred cases of diarrhoea have been reported from various places of the Steel City and its outskirts in last few days.