Three months after about a dozen tribals in the Maoist-affected Malkangiri district of Odisha died of unknown ailments, at least 10 people in a village of the district have fallen victim to some unknown waterborne disease in last 3 months.
Reports of deaths of at least 10 tribals in Sodiguda village under Mathili block of the district surfaced. Malkangiri district collector Manish Agrawal said a medical team had visited the village and taken blood sample of the people in the area. “We have also taken a sample of the drinking water available in the area. Our medical team is making regular visits to the village to conduct tests. But the exact cause of deaths is yet to be known,” said Agrawal.
Local villagers said the disease reportedly starts with swelling of the body following which the patients lose appetite. Those who died had become weaker by the day and succumbed, said a villager.
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Malkangiri chief district medical officer Dr PK Nanda said the administration has admitted 14 villagers in hospital and conducted tests on them. “While some were found to be anaemic others had a malaria attack. A few others may have consumed a local brew laced with urea for more intoxication,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Malkangiri chief district medical officer Dr PK Nanda said the administration has admitted 14 villagers in hospital and conducted tests on them. “While some were found to be anaemic others had a malaria attack. A few others may have consumed a local brew laced with urea for more intoxication,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}In June, similar deaths were reported from another village of the district. In Kenduguda village of Malkangiri block, 15 people had died with many of them complaining of swollen legs and stomach.
Nutrition expert Basanta Kumar Kar said most of the deaths in tribal families of Malkangiri could be attributed to lack of proper nutrition. “As per the National Family Health Survey 4, malnutrition is as high as 51.8 percent, way below the state average. While essential micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are necessary to prevent mortality, the availability of nutritious foods may have worsened during the lockdown. Besides, malaria too plays a role in undermining the immunity of the tribals,” said Kar, who received the Global Nutrition Leadership Award last year.
In September 2016, over 100 children, most of them malnourished, in Malkangiri had succumbed to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome and Japanese Encephalitis. According to the 2014 Annual Health Survey report, seven out of ten children in Malkangiri are underweight while district ranked third in the country among 100 districts that have the highest prevalence of underweight children under the age of five.