Five cholera cases reported in Odisha district

Odisha Saturday confirmed five cholera cases in Rayagada district.

At least 21 people of four villages under Padmapur block of the district, about 450 km from here, suffered from diarrhoea last week, and five of them have been tested positive for cholera, chief medical officer P.K. Das told IANS.

"We suspect water contamination as the main reason behind the disease," he said.

A sanitation drive has been launched in the region and there has been no report of any new cholera case. A team of health experts also visited the affected villages, Das said.

Cholera and diarrhoea are reported from the villages of Rayagada almost every monsoon. The cause has been the same over the years - rainwater slush from hilltops contaminating water sources.