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Diarrhoea claims 53 in Orissa district

Bibhuti Mishra in Bhubaneshwar

Fiftythree persons have succumbed to diarrhoea in Koraput district within a fortnight.

The diarrhoea cases are mainly in Dasamantapur and Narayanpatna, where there is an acute shortage of potable water.

Tribals in the areas are believed to have consumed rotten beef and pork.

Four health department teams are in the affected areas to check its spread to villages like Nandapur, Padua, Kularsingh, Sundhiput and Mujang.

A spokesperson of the district health department said that most deaths have been because many villages are remote, with health facilities being inaccessible. He put the death toll at 24.

According to a list released by non-governmental organisations, over the last three months, absence of proper health facilities has led to the death of 63 people.

In Kotpad and Baipariguda, people have died of malaria too.

Said Nadalal Binayak, an NGO worker, ''The problem is illiteracy and ignorance. The tribals go to quacks and resort to witchcraft to get rid of diseases even today!"

Besides, at least 125 posts of doctors and health workers are vacant in the district.

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