Pradhan seeks central help to tackle diarrhoea outbreak in Odisha’s Rourkela

Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday sought central assistance in combating an outbreak of diarrhoea in Odisha’s Rourkela, where over 1,500 cases have been reported in the past one week. At least six persons have died due to diarrhoea in the city during this period, officials said.

“The severity of the outbreak of diarrhoea in Rourkela and the potential risk it poses to public health is alarming. The disease is suspected to be caused by water contamination, leading to severe health complications among the affected populace,” Pradhan said in a letter to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

“Keeping in mind the welfare of the people of Rourkela and nearby areas, I seek your personal intervention in immediate facilitation of central assistance to Rourkela and other affected areas in Odisha, for controlling and addressing the outbreak,” said Pradhan, the Union education minister. The affected patients have been admitted to Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH), Ispat General Hospital, Medical College, Sundargarh and other private hospitals in the city, the officials said.

“So far, six persons have died due to diarrhoea,” Sundergarh Chief District Medical Officer Dharani Ranjan Satpathy told PTI.

Earlier in the day, Health Secretary Shalini Pandit and Housing and Urban Development Secretary G Mathivathanan visited the hospitals where the patients are undergoing treatment.

Pandit said that cases were not increasing anymore and the situation is improving gradually. “Awareness measures were undertaken, while water purification and food-checking activities have been stepped up,” she said.