Bhubaneswar, June 18: Diphtheria outbreak continues to grip Odisha as by Tuesday morning, as many as 21 cases have been reported from three districts -- Rayagada, Koraput and Kalahandi. Five people have already died of the disease, while one is in critical condition.

As many as 15 cases of Diphtheria have been detected in Rayagada, while 5-6 suspected cases -- one from Bandhugaon of Koraput district and 4-5 from Kalahandi -- have been detected from the other two districts.

Their samples have been sent to the District Headquarter Hospital and RMRC for testing. The Bandhugaon patient has been referred to MKCG considering his condition being critical. The patients from Kalahandi have been transferred to Bhawanipatna Hospital.

The situation in Rayagada is currently stable. The Anti-Diphtheria serum has been brought from Agra and Hyderabad and given to the infected.

"To combat the infection, mobile teams of the health department and the WHO are taking stock of the situation in villages of three districts. They are visiting door-to door and conducting a survey to find out if there are any suspected cases," said Dr Nilakantha Mishra, Director of Public Health.

Mishra has also said that the infection can be eradicated by antibiotics. The district administration has been directed to instruct people to wear masks and wash hands to prevent the spread of the disease due to its nature of airbourne transmission.

Earlier, Dr. Sanjukta Sahoo, Director of Family Welfare, has said that the booster dose vaccine will be given in Rayagada's Kashipur, starting Wednesday.

"Infants under one year of age will be given a penta dose, while TD dose will be given to 5 to 15 years olds," she said, adding: "After surveillance is completed, booster doses will be given to other infected areas."

Sahoo also said that the surveillance is going on in the infected areas as per the guidelines and antibiotics are given to symptomatic individuals. Surveillance will be conducted in Gajapati, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri.

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