Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, along with senior state officials and central teams, conducted an extensive review of the diarrhoea outbreak situation in the affected areas of Jajpur and Keonjhar districts, particularly in Anandpur sub-division.
The minister, accompanied by Jajpur MP Rabindra Narayan Behera and MLAs Amar Nayak (Badachana), Akash Das Nayak (Korei), and Himanshu Shekhar Sahu (Dharmasala), visited impacted regions in Jajpur to assess the situation on the ground.
Dr. Mahaling engaged directly with residents, visited community health centres in Badachana, Dharmasala, Madhuban, and Jajpur Road, and inspected the district headquarters hospital to check on patients’ conditions.
In a detailed review meeting at the Jajpur district office, attended by key officials including Public Health Director Dr. Nilakantha Mishra, Health Services Director Dr. Amarendra Mohanty, Food Safety Director Dr. Shakti Prasad Mishra, District Collector P. Anwesha Reddy, and central team members, the minister emphasised stringent measures to curb the outbreak.
The minister directed the Water Supply Department to regularly disinfect drinking water sources and ensure school water tanks and tube wells are sanitised before reopening. He stressed the importance of door-to-door campaigns by health workers to identify diarrhoea cases early, distribute essential medicines and ORS packets, and advise hospital visits when necessary. District administrations were instructed to launch widespread awareness programs through field activities and social media.
Central health teams reported that the state’s response is on the right track, with emergency measures implemented effectively at every level. Separate state and central food safety and health teams continue to monitor and assess the situation independently.
Dr. Mahaling later visited affected areas in Keonjhar’s Anandpur sub-division, reviewing the situation with District Collector Vishal Singh, the Chief District Medical Officer, public health officials, and water supply engineers. He advised intensifying preventive and remedial measures to contain the outbreak.
According to Special Health Secretary Dr. Mahapatra, the situation has shown significant improvement. No diarrhoea-related deaths were reported today, and hospital admissions have drastically reduced. In Jajpur, of the 1,771 affected individuals, 1,508 have recovered and returned home, while 258 remain under treatment. Five deaths have been confirmed as diarrhoea-related, with five additional cases under investigation.
The state’s proactive measures, including rigorous water sanitation, early case detection, and public awareness, have been pivotal in controlling the outbreak, with ongoing efforts to ensure no further escalation.
