Mystery disease kills three in Odisha

A mystery disease has claimed lives of three siblings, and many others have been affected by it in Odisha.

After being affected by the disease for a couple of days, which has been suspected to be typhoid, three children of a family died within a week at Jharigaon village in Koraput district of Odisha.

The children died early this month and a team of health officials, led by Koraput's Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO), Laxmidhar Kabi, visiting the village on Monday, said tests are being done to monitor the situation.

"Saunta's (father of the victims) children are suffering from fever since eight to 10 days. Two children died at their home, one on 5th (July 5) and another on 7th (July 7) and another child was referred to Koraput district hospital. His blood source is positive for typhoid fever and we think some sort of viral element was detected. We have collected the patient's serum, and the water of the stream, to examine what is happening," said Kabi.

The medical teams have been examining patients and treating the villagers as many have been admitted to district hospitals.

Saunta lost his 10-year-old son, and daughters aged seven and 15 within a span of one week.

"My children died within a gap of few days. They were sick for some days. However, we do not know what caused them to be sick which later resulted to their death. Out of my other three children who are alive, two are already in the hospital for treatment. There is no one for us to depend on. For us farmers, cultivation is the only way of getting our livelihood," said the father of the victims, Saunta.

All the villagers are poor and earn their livelihood by cultivation for which they get water from a small stream that flows through the village.

As there are no drinking water facilities the poverty stricken villagers drink the polluted water that they use for cultivation, which results in different kinds of water-borne diseases.

Jharigaon is one of the remotest villages of the districts that does not have other basic facilities like road connectivity, or a school and health centre for the betterment of the villagers.

The village is completely cut off from the developmental schemes of the government as the district is one of the common dwellings of the red rebels who carry out their activities often in this area. That is also a reason why district administrations fear to visit the village and solve the problems of the villagers.

The team under CDMO conducted blood test of all the villagers and assured them that they will dig a tube well for drinking water and make concrete roads connecting to the village.