June 15th 2025.
On Sunday, the Minister for Health and Family Welfare in Odisha, Mukesh Mahaling, made a visit to the Jajpur district to assess the current situation in areas affected by the recent outbreak of cholera. The purpose of the visit was to review the ongoing containment and treatment efforts that have been put in place. In order to gain a thorough understanding of the situation, the Health Minister held detailed discussions with various teams from the state government, officials of the district administration, and a Central team from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
During the discussions, the focus was on strategies to prevent the spread of the disease, measures for treatment, availability of medical personnel, and other key actions that are necessary to tackle the outbreak. In a statement to the media, Mahaling urged people to seek medical advice from qualified doctors at nearby hospitals instead of relying on untrained individuals, and to obtain medicines from authorized pharmacies rather than self-medicating.
The Minister shared that he had personally visited five Community Health Centres and the District Headquarters Hospital in Jajpur to assess the situation on the ground. He also mentioned that central teams from various organizations, such as the Ministry of Health and the Directorate of Public Health, have been working together to review the current status and identify the root causes of the outbreak. Mahaling emphasized that there are three main areas of focus in the efforts to contain the outbreak: disinfection of water sources, breaking the chain of infection, and closely monitoring the situation to prevent further spread.
Mahaling informed the media that district nodal officers, who are responsible for managing diarrhea and cholera cases, have compiled profiles of the affected individuals and are administering doxycycline to their family members and recent contacts. This measure is aimed at preventing the disease from spreading further. The Minister also assured that the government is taking all necessary steps to prevent the spread of cholera to other areas of the state. He noted that there have been reports of diarrhea cases in other districts like Kendrapara and Keonjhar, and he is scheduled to visit the affected areas in Keonjhar to assess the situation there as well.
During the visit, the central team collected water and food samples from the affected regions to determine the exact causes of the outbreak. Mahaling shared that there have been reports of 12 deaths, but only five have been officially confirmed so far. The remaining cases are still under investigation. According to official sources, 11 patients have tested positive for cholera infection, and 1,516 diarrhea patients have been admitted to hospitals in Jajpur district as of June 15. Out of these, 1,306 have been successfully treated, while 210 are still undergoing treatment. It is worth noting that the Union Health Ministry has sent a team of seven medical professionals and a team of three food safety experts to Odisha to assist with the situation. Additionally, a four-member team from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has also been deployed to help contain the outbreak.
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