Jaundice situation worsening in Cuttack

At least 12 people tested positive to jaundice today taking the total afflicted in Cuttack city of Odisha to 116.
Seeing the jaundice situation worsening in the old city, State health secretary Arati Ahuja along with revenue divisional commissioner and the district collector today visited the affected areas to monitor the drinking water facilities, drainage system, sanitation and hygiene of the city.
District collector Nirmal Mishra said nine patients from Thoriasahi and three more from Jobra tested positive today.
He said over 500 water service connections in the city were identified to have broken pipelines and over 200 of those have already been replaced. Efforts are on in war footing manner to replace all broken pipelines, he said

"The drinking water pipelines are over 30 years old and most of them are passing through drains," Mishra said adding that free health camps are opened in the affected areas where the urine and blood samples are tested freely and the affected persons are given free medicines.
Similarly, the ASHA and Anganwadi workers are moving door to door in Mangalabag and Jobra areas distributing free halogen tablets and asking the residents to boil water for ten minutes or more before drinking. They are also distributing leaflets demonstrating the symptoms of the disease and its prevention.