Cholera claims 17 lives in seven district of Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Over 17 people died of cholera in seven districts of Odisha. Health Minister Naba Kishore Das informed the Assembly on Monday.

Rayagada, Jharsuguda, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Sonepur, Nuapada, and Gajapati are the seven districts where the diarrhoea outbreak has been reported.

“Over 432 people in the state have been infected with diarrhoea of which 17 people have died,” he said.

The first outbreak of diarrhoea was reported in the Kashipur block of Rayagada district on July 13, and till now, 159 persons of 11 villages spread over 5 panchayats in the block were infected with the disease, of which 10 died.

Similarly, two persons died in Jharsuguda district while Koraput, Nabarangpur, Sonepur, Nuapada, and Gajapati districts have recorded one death each due to the disease, he informed.

“Rapid response teams have been deployed in all affected districts to provide treatment on a war-footing way. Efforts are on to provide safe and clean drinking water to people,” he said.

Required medicines and other things in adequate quantity have been provided in Rayagada to counter the disease and all steps are being taken to improve the situation in the district, he said, hoping that the situation would improve soon.