Cholera cases detected in Jajpur district, diarrhoea toll rises to five

WITH the death toll due to diarrhoea rising to five on Saturday and 1,500 others being infected with the water-borne disease in Odisha's Jajpur, the Centre rushed three separate expert teams to study the ground situation in the district where some cases of cholera have also been detected, officials said.

- PBD BUREAU/PTI

The Jajpur district administration has cancelled Raja festival holidays for government officials and also banned community feasts on the occasion as the disease spread to fresh areas.

"In view of the diarrhoea outbreak in different parts of the district, the holidays from June 14 to 16 are hereby cancelled. All offices in Jajpur district will remain open as usual and the services of employees will be utilised in case of exigency," the order issued by the district collector said.

Though the rate of people getting admitted to hospitals in diarrhoea-related cases declined on Saturday, the state government was worried over the detection of cholera cases, another senior official said.

"Of the 200 samples collected, eleven have tested positive for vibrio cholerae. However, there has been no large-scale spread of cholera and the cases have not been reported from any particular cluster," Director of Public Health, Dr Nilakantha Mishra, told reporters, adding that the central government sent three teams comprising 14 experts to assess the ground situation in the district.