Malkangiri, Oct 9: Although the state government has sent more doctors to the affected area today the number of deaths due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) increased to 44 with two more children named Dasarathi Naik aged 2 belonging to Dangaraguda and Juli Kabas aged 2 of Kalakunda under Padia Block dying late last night while undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital. The first child died last night while the second one died in the wee hours of today.
Although the disease has turned into an epidemic thus taking lives of the kids in a span of 31 days, the state government has denied to go for immunisation currently and it has sought for permission from the Union Health Ministry for the same. Shalini Pandit, managing director of the National Health Mission (NHM) said that to monitor the vector control mission and treatment of the patients in Malkangiri, a state level control room having six members including Director, Health Services, Joint Director, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) and Health department Joint Secretary has been set up. All required medicines and equipment including, doctors, staff nurses, laboratory technicians have been sent there to note the situation round the clock.
Till yesterday treatment of 116 JE and suspected JE patients were underway in Malkangiri of which 25 have completely recovered and discharged from the hospital. The remaining 53 children had been under treatment of which majority of them are stable barring three children who have been admitted to the ICU. The nine doctors sent from the headquarters are staying at a camp inside Malkangiri DHH to look after the patients. Apart from this, doctors have been engaged at the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Kalimela. The Health department has also deputed more number of staff nurses to Malkangiri to assist the doctors in the treatment of the patients.
On Saturday the Odisha chief minister, Naveen Patnaik informed that the state government is constantly in touch with the Centre and has initiated all possible measures to contain the disease from spreading to other areas of Malkangiri district.
