As many as 10 tribals from Khurigaon village died last week of an unknown disease. The village is just four km from Kashipur block headquarters and 55 km from the district headquarters town.
As per the information of the villagers, the symptoms of the disease are bloating of the belly, legs, hands and high fever leading to death. The deceased are Daimati Jhodia, Manglu Majhi, Kuni Jhodia, Dhanapati Jhodia, Kartik Jhodia, Rajamani Jhodia, Rajib Majhi, laxman Jhodia and a newborn.
According to village leader Nabin Nayak, the mobile health van of Kashipur CHC never arrived in the village in spite of several requests by the villagers and reporting at the CHC. Initially when the patients on their own with help of rope cots and carriers reached the CHC, the officials there demanded `20 to register each case. The tribal families could not afford to pay the sum of money. As a result, the hospital officials drove some patients away. Some of them who were referred to the Rayagada district headquarters hospital died on the way, Nayak informed.
He said that the health worker and Anganwadi workers visited the village irregularly. The doctor and other para medical staff at Kashipur CHC are not at all serious to combat the disease. Neither any medical team from the CDMO office arrived in the village nor the CHC Kasipur medical staff informed the district headquarters about the situation. Even some patients got expired medicines, he said.
Though two days back, a team comprising of the local mobile health clinic doctors RP Mohapatra and SK Sahu under the leadership of Dr Subuddhi from the CDMO office visited the village, they were yet to ascertain the disease and its exact cause. The team treated 40 patients and collected ten blood samples from the village. Dr Subuddhi told that the findings would be placed before some technical experts at the district headquarters.
Similarly, dengue is on rise in the entire district. last Wednesday, one tribal woman Rajani Himirika died. While she was going to Brahmapur by 107-ambulance, she passed away at Ramnaguda. Another woman K Satyabati was under treatment. Both Rajani’s and Satyabati’s blood samples were sent to the Brahmapur- based MKCG Medical College and Hospital which confirmed presence of dengue virus. Satayabati is now under treatment at Vijianagaram.
In yet another incident, two women were suffering from dengue at Debagiri Krantikari Ashram. They were identified as Sushama Nayak and Sushama Yadav. Sumitra was under treatment at Bhawanipatna. Previously, in this block, five dengue patients were identified but they were cured after treatment at Brahmapur and Visakhapatnam.