With two more deaths taking place on Saturday, the toll after the outbreak of jaundice in Sambalpur town has risen to 19. Satyananda Kanda (19), a Plus Two student of TF College, died at a private hospital in Cuttack on Saturday. A resident of Explosives Colony in the town, Satyananda, had been shifted to Cuttack after his condition deteriorated.
Bir Pok (42), another affected by jaundice, who had been shifted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, also succumbed to the killer disease in the day. An employee of the Sambalpur Corporation, he had come back to the town midway through his treatment in Bhubaneswar due to financial constraints.
A filthy drainage system and damaged water supply pipelines are being blamed for the spread of the disease in the town that has a population of nearly two lakh. An official said the water meant for drinking is contaminated because of the leakages in the rusty supply pipelines. Nearly 1,270 people in the town have been infected by jaundice since May, he added.
Although only three to four cases are reported daily compared to the 20-30 cases daily earlier, the situation is not fully under control despite taking several measures, the official said.
The administration has stopped supply of drinking water through pipelines and is using tankers to meet the demand. Health officials have launched a door-to-door campaign urging people to drink boiled water only.