Bhubaneswar, June 17 (UNI) The Odisha Government on Tuesday deputed four state-level teams to districts affected by diarrhoea to observe field-level activities.
State Health Secretary Aswathi S told newsmen that the teams have been formed with senior officers, experts, and advisors from the Health and Family Welfare Department.
She said Joint Director Dr. Ashok Kumar Paik Roy, Advisor Dr. Kalloka Das, IRT Member Surjit Garabdu, Dr. Asit Kumar Mohanty, Dr. Prabhakar Sahu, and Advisor Shri Anup are among the prominent members of these teams.
They will visit Bhubaneswar, Banki, Dharamsala, Badachana, and Bhandaripokhari to inspect diarrhoea control efforts and strengthen coordination among the various departmental teams working at the grassroots level.
The teams will monitor water source purification, house-to-house campaigns, early detection and primary treatment of diarrhoea patients, door-to-door distribution of medicines and halogen tablets, public awareness programmes, and provide necessary advice and support to make interventions more targeted.
The Health Secretary stated that the situation of water-borne diarrhoea, observed in some parts of the state, is improving. She added that only 300 new cases—mostly mild—were reported from the five affected districts on Tuesday. Both the central and state governments are continuing their joint efforts to eliminate the disease.
In the meantime, additional medical supplies, medicine certificates, and awareness leaflets have been dispatched to the affected areas, and field-level awareness campaigns have been intensified.
The Health Secretary further said that the three central teams currently visiting the affected districts have denied that the situation has taken the form of an epidemic.
She noted that the central team members will conclude their visit on Tuesday and are scheduled to hold discussions with senior state officials on Wednesday to decide on further containment measures.
