Concerned of spread of jaundice in Sambalpur, the State Health Department on Thursday said water samples of the city would be sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune very soon for laboratory test.
A decision in this regard was taken at a review meeting held here on Wednesday, informed Chief District Medical Officer(CDMO) Jagatkrushna Samantray.
It was revealed that around 20 jaundice cases are being reported in the District Headquarter Hospital (DHH) daily and of them 5 to 7 jaundice patients are taking admission.
He said contaminated water is the reason behind the spread of the disease. A household survey by four teams was being conducted to ascertain the cause and the source, he added.
According to the survey, as many as 677 persons were infected by jaundice and six persons were killed due to the disease between June and November in Sambalpur city alone.
An official said drain water is seeping through water supply pipelines and contaminating at many places due to leakages in the pipelines.