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Odisha health officials in a tizzy as Japanese Encephalitis claims 21 lives in Malkangiri district

News Agencies | Updated on: 11 February 2017, 5:45 IST

The Odisha government has directed officials to keep a close vigil on the spread of Japanese Encephalitis, which has claimed at least 21 lives in the state's Malkangiri district.

Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, who held an interdepartmental meeting on 1 October to review preparedness to contain the disease, directed that more teams of doctors be sent to the affected areas.

An outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis in 21 villages under six blocks of the district was reported last month. Altogether 27 people, mostly children, suffered from the disease which has so far claimed 21 lives, an official statement said.

Doctors and specialists were sent to the district to assess the situation and take steps to check the disease.

Health assistance booths have been opened in the affected areas, while fogging work intensified to control mosquito that spreads the disease, it said.

Since the disease spreads from pigs to humans, mostly children, through mosquitoes, the government is taking steps to relocate the pig farms away from the villages.

A team of Animal Resources department will also be sent to the affected areas to initiate necessary steps. Blood samples of pigs would also be collected and sent to a laboratory for thorough examination, the statement said.

--PTI

First published: 2 October 2016, 5:37 IST