The Sundargarh Health department and district administration seem to be insensible to an anthrax scare gripping bordering Bano block of Simdega district in Jharkhand.
Sources said tribals from Bano village, which has reported seven deaths due to the disease in 13 days, continue to frequent the border pockets of Sundargarh district while the district Health department seems not to be serious to the looming danger.
Though the situation is claimed to be under control, fear of the disease spreading to the border villages of Sundargarh looms large after 10 patients undergoing treatment at Sadar Hospital in Bano reportedly ran away.
Sources alleged about 20 days back, villagers of Karuchdaga of Bano had processed the carcass of a cow and later consumed it. After that two infected patients died on October 15 and another perished on next day while local health authorities failed to identify the disease in time.
A medical team led by Civil Surgeon-cum-Chief Medical Officer Dr ADN Prasad took charge of the situation. Between October 18 and 20, four more patients succumbed to the disease. Reportedly seven of the 10 infected patients fled the hospital on October 23 and the rest three on October 29.
After blood samples tested anthrax positive at RIMS, Ranchi, a team of doctors of Centre for Disease Control (CDC) took stock of the situation on October 28.
Though Simdega-based District Magistrate Diprava lakra claims the situation is under control and appropriate teams have started providing preventive medication to vulnerable persons along with vaccination of animals in a radius of five kilometers and a ban has been imposed in the block on sale of meat for next two weeks, but the anthrax scare cannot be ruled out totally.
Prasad said normally human to human contact is not risky but human to animal contact carries the risk of transmission of the disease. He said anthrax is spread by contact with spores and affected persons with itchy skins or sores could be potential threat to humans who come in their contact.
It may be noted here that a month back a person died of anthrax at Hathibari area of Nuagaon block in Sundargarh. But since then no monitoring process has been put in place even though tribal vegetable vendors from Bano visit Rourkela city daily. Many from the affected area also frequently visit their relatives, friends and business counterparts in Nuagaon.
When asked, Sundargarh Chief District Medical Officer Dr B Nayak said he would call the authorities of Public Health wing to take necessary steps in this regard.