4 die of suspected diarrhoea

Bhubaneswar: Four persons have died of suspected diarrhoea in Kanas block of Puri district, officials said on Tuesday. District officials have visited the affected villages, provided medicines and advised people not to use the Daya river water.

The district administration has also started distributing drinking water through tankers. The death due to diarrhoea would be confirmed after proper investigation, an official said.

Puri Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Rupabhanu Mishra said a joint inspection was carried out in the diarrhoea-affected villages.

While discussing their issues, the locals said that they are facing drinking water problems and depending on the Daya river, he said. “The laboratory test of the Daya river water revealed that the water is contaminated and not fit to be used.

So, we have advised the people not to use the water from the Daya river,” Mishra said.

Currently, three patients are undergoing treatment in Bhubaneswar hospitals while seven others are under treatment at Kanas hospital, he said. A dedicated health team, along with an ambulance, has been deployed in the diarrhoea-affected area. The health team monitors the situation on a daily basis, said Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain.