Even as the sanitation measures in Japanese Encephalitis (JE)-affected areas in Malkangiri district has been beefed up to check spreading of the disease to other areas, two more children on Thursday died for the deadly virus, taking the total toll in the vector-borne disease to 50 in the tribals-dominated district.
The latest victims were identified as Amit Madkami (5) of Dariguda village and Rebika Madkami (7) of Katangpali village of Padia block. They succumbed to the disease at the Malkangiri District Headquarters Hospital (DHH).
On Thursday, Health and Family Welfare Secretary Arti Ahuja visited the affected areas and said efforts are being taken in a coordinated manner between different departments.
“While special enclosures have been made by the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (F&ARD) Department to keep the pigs away from the villages as a preventive measure, steps are also being taken by the Rural Development Department and the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) to cut bushes and fill up waterlogged areas in the villages with sands to stop mosquito breeding. Also, the school teachers, whose puja vacation is cancelled, are visiting the affected villages and making people aware of Japanese Encephalitis and its preventive measures,” said Ahuja.
F&ARD Secretary Bishnupada Sethi said a total of 9,454 pigs have been kept in enclosures away from the affected villages of which 7,040 pigs are kept in 104 Government enclosures and 2,414 pigs in 36 private enclosures.
“While veterinary doctors and livestock Inspectors are conducting health checkups of these pigs and taking their blood samples for test, 17 more veterinary doctors and 60 para-veterinary staffs are on duty at four check-posts in the bordering areas of Malkangiri district,” he added.
Sethi, however, said as the Malkangiri district Collector has not proposed culling of pigs, his department would think about alternative measures on the pigs carrying Encephalitis virus.
Meanwhile on Thursday, Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan visited the panic-stricken areas in Malkangiri district and took stock of the situation and also talked to affected children and their parents.
He blamed both the State and Central Governments for failing to take timely proactive measures, resulting in the rising death of tribal kids.