Malkangiri: Chronic alcohol consumption is the cause of the unknown disease that has claimed eight lives in the last 10 days in Malkangiri, said Chief District Medical & Public Health Officer (CDM&PHO) Dr. Prafulla Kumar Nanda on Sunday. However, Excise Inspector Udelal Nayak has refuted the claim.
Nanda said that he had personally visited the affected villages in the district. The patients were complaining of swelling of the legs and abdomen. Blood and urine samples, liver profiles, and kidney profiles of 70 persons were tested. Water samples of the area were also tested.
Preliminary investigation revealed that most of them are chronic alcoholics. It has affected their liver and kidney and there is a lack of nutrition. The persons admitted at the District Headquarters Hospital will be tested for dengue, anthrax, and leprosy to find if there is any other cause.
On the other hand, Nayak said that the deaths have not occurred due to excess alcohol consumption. Their investigation revealed that the deaths occurred due to poor food choices of the people and some unknown disease. He claimed that some of the deceased persons have never even consumed gutkha in their life.
It is pertinent to mention that several persons in Haldikund and Bamanguda villages in Mathili block of Malkangiri district are suffering from an unknown disease for the last 10 to 15 days. Eight of them have died while nine persons are presently under treatment at the District Headquarters Hospital.
