With jaundice claiming at least 17 lives and the disease assuming alarming proportions in western Odisha town of Sambalpur, the Odisha government today said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was likely to visit the affected area on Wednesday, official sources said.
The decision in this regard was taken at a high level meeting presided over by Chief Secretary Gokul Chandra Pati, who was also likely to accompany the Chief Minister. Health secretary Arati Ahuja and other officials of the department attended the meeting.
Though the state government claimed to have controlled spread of the disease, 20 more new patients were detected yesterday with a large number of affected people dropping to district headquarters hospital at Sambalpur.
"The government has taken several steps to contain the spread of the disease. People are being provided with safe drinking water and the housing and urban development department has made arrangements in certain affected areas," said health secretary Arati Ahuja.
Besides announcing free treatment of patients suffering from jaundice, Ahuja said people can also get their blood sample examined free at government hospitals.
The district administration has stepped up operations to prevent and eradicate the disease with the district administration was working to renovate water supply pipelines and cleaning of drains using machines, Ahuja said.
Sambalpur district collector Balwant Singh said the district administration has taken up chlorination of water supply system, Singh said efforts were being made to prevent the disease from spreading.
