Thursday, August 30, 2007

Orissa cholera toll rises to 115

Asian Age, Aug 29, 2007

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 29: Cholera continues to claim more lives in Orissa’s Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput region. At least 35 more people have died of the disease in the last two days, taking the death toll to 115, health department officials confirmed. The epidemic, which first broke out in Kashipur in Rayagada district and subsequently spread to Dashmantpur in Koraput and Thuamul Rampur in Kalahandi districts, has been detected in some new block areas in the region.

The disease surveillance wing of the Orissa government said that some cholera-related deaths were reported from at least five new block areas. However, health minister Duryodhan Majhi said many of the reported death cases were not due to cholera but due to gastroenteritis. "Investigations revealed that many of the deceased were victims of gastroenteritis. This fact has been corroborated by the tests conducted by the Bhubaneswar-based Regional Research Laboratory and MKCG Hospital, Berhampur. Microbiological tests conducted in the affected villages revealed the presence of the cholera virus in at least 31 cases," he said.

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