As many as 63 people have been affected by jaundice in the Patnagarh area in Balangir district. “So far 63 jaundice cases have been detected but the situation is under control,” informed Balangir CDMO RN Tripathy.
Tripathy said the main reason for jaundice occurrence is consumption of contaminated water from a Hirabandh (a pond). He said the first case detected in a person who visited Sambalpur where Hepatitis E virus has claimed many lives recently.
Both Hepatitis A and E virus have been detected in Patnagarh, he informed. He said people have been advised to drink water after boiling for 15 minutes and not to defecate at open places.
Meanwhile, cleaning of water in Hirabandh and other areas is going on. Water samples from Patnagarh have been collected and sent to Bhubneshwar for examination. In spite of all this, reports of jaundice cases are coming up from nearby Patnagarh areas, much to the dismay of many.