Bhubaneswar: Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, along with senior state officials and central health teams today conducted an extensive field visit to assess the diarrhea outbreak in the affected areas of Anandapur sub-division in Keonjhar and parts of Jajpur district.
Accompanied by Jajpur MP Rabindra Narayan Behera, Badchana MLA Amar Kumar Nayak, Korei MLA Akash Dasnayak, and Dharmasala MLA Himanshu Sekhar Sahoo, Dr. Mahaling visited several affected regions in Jajpur district. The Minister interacted with residents and reviewed the condition of patients at the Community Health Centres in Badchana, Dharmasala, Madhuban, and Jajpur Road, as well as the District Headquarters Hospital.
Following the field inspections, a high-level review meeting was held with Public Health Director Dr. Nilakantha Mishra, Health Services Director Dr. Amarendra Nath Mohanty, Food Security Director Dr. Shakti Prasad Mishra, Jajpur District Collector P. Anvesha Reddy, three central health teams, CDMOs, medical college faculty, and other field officials.
During the review, the Minister instructed Water Supply Department engineers to regularly treat all drinking water sources, including tube wells and water tanks located within school premises, ahead of school reopening.
He also directed Health and Family Welfare field staff to carry out door-to-door surveillance to identify diarrhea patients at early stages, distribute ORS and medicines, and advise timely hospitalization when necessary.
The District Administration was tasked with launching intensive awareness campaigns through community outreach and digital platforms.
The Central Health Team, which attended the meeting, noted that the state government’s efforts to contain the outbreak are progressing in the right direction, with rapid, multi-level responses being implemented.
Later, Dr. Mahaling visited the affected areas of Anandapur sub-division in Keonjhar district and conducted an on-site review with Keonjhar District Magistrate Vishal Singh, senior health officials, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Supply engineers, and local medical experts. He emphasized scaling up control and prevention measures in vulnerable areas.
Speaking to the media, Special Administrative Secretary of Health Services Dr. Bijaya Kumar Mohapatra reported a marked improvement in the situation. No new diarrhea-related deaths were reported on Sunday and hospital admissions have significantly declined.
According to Director of Public Health Dr. Mishra, a total of 1,771 patients have been admitted to hospitals in Jajpur district so far. Of these, 1,508 have been discharged after recovery, while 258 patients remain under treatment. Five deaths have been confirmed as diarrhea-related and investigations are ongoing into five other suspected cases.
