Bhubaneswar: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has sought Health Ministry’s intervention and central assistance to Rourkela to contain the outbreak of diarrhoea in the steel city.
In a letter to Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Pradhan sought his personal intervention in the matter.
“I am writing to seek your personal intervention regarding the urgent need for central assistance to Rourkela and nearby affected area in Odisha to control and address the recent outbreak of diarrhea,” the letter read.
Pradhan stated that the severity of outbreak and its potential risk to public health is alarming. At least eight deaths were reported and over 600 individuals currently undergoing treatment, he added.
Water contamination is suspected to be the cause of the disease, Pradhan mentioned in the letter.
. The disease is suspected to be caused by water contamination, leading to severe health complications among the affected populace.
He sought Mandaviya’s personal intervention in the immediate facilitation of central assistance to Rourkela and other affected areas to control the spread of the disease.
Meanwhile, a state-level health team headed by Health Secretary Shalini Pandit today visited Rourkela and reviewed the situation. The Community Medicine department of Sundergarh Medical College has started the survey to find out the source of the disease. A team SCB and RMRC will also join the study soon.
