Health teams on high alert in Koraput, Odisha amid rise in fever cases

JEYPORE: Health department officials have ramped up door-to-door surveys following reports of suspected fever cases among children in inaccessible areas of Koraput district. With diptheria cases rising in the neighbouring Kashipur in Rayagada district and the death of a 10-year-old boy from in Kumbhariput village under Bandhugaon, the health teams here are on the toes.

Besides surveillance in Kumbhariput, the teams are now extending their surveys to other nearby remote areas.

Ten health teams, including local medical staff from Narayanpatana, Bandhugaon, and Mobile Health Units, have visited eight villages in these blocks to identify and address suspected fever cases among children.

During the survey, some health concerns were identified among 40 children in Gatigura village under Narayanpatana block, with medical support provided on-site. One child, suffering from high fever, was taken to Narayanpatana community health centre (CHC) for further treatment.

Koraput collector V Keerthi Vasan reviewed the health situation in the district’s remote villages, directing senior medical officers to remain vigilant, especially with the onset of the monsoon.

He said, the health department has decided to intensify efforts in Bandhugaon, Narayanpatana, Laxmipur, and Dasmantpur blocks, which are near Rayagada district’s Kashipur, where diphtheria cases have been reported.

Local health teams and Mobile Health Units will conduct surveys in these villages in the coming days to identify any suspected diphtheria cases.

Health staff at all levels, from panchayat to district, have been instructed to promptly address any medical urgencies, including throat infections, and provide necessary medical support.

“We are closely monitoring the health situation in Narayanpatana, Laxmipur, Dasmantpur, and Bandhugaon villages daily. Our teams are distributing medicines door-to-door to anyone with health issues. The situation is under control, and there is no need to panic over each fever case,” stated a senior health officer from the Koraput chief district medical officer’s (CDMO) office.

Sources confirmed that only three child deaths have been reported in the district over the past 15 days, none of which were due to diphtheria.