Bhubaneswar: Two more persons have died of diarrhoea in Jajpur district, taking the death toll to 13, a health official said on Wednesday. The latest casualties were reported from Vyasanagar in the district.

Additional Director of Health Services (Leprosy) Khestra Mohan Kanda said the patients were brought to Vyasanagar hospital on Tuesday night in critical condition. “They arrived at the hospital severely dehydrated and died within half an hour of admission,” Kanda said.

According to Bijay Mishra, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) of Jajpur, 37 new diarrhoea patients were admitted to various hospitals in the district on Wednesday. A total of 196 patients are currently undergoing treatment at different healthcare facilities in Jajpur, he added. Mishra said of the 49 samples from the district sent to a laboratory for testing in two phases, 16 were found cholera-positive.

Meanwhile, the Central team members held discussions with officials of the State Health department and Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water department on Wednesday. The outbreak, which began as a diarrhoeal illness in Jajpur on June 9, has now spread to other districts, including Dhenkanal, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, and Cuttack. Sporadic cases have also been reported from additional districts, officials said. Following the spread of the disease to five districts, the government has put all the collectors on alert, asking them to take preventive measures. On the other hand, municipal authorities in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack continued to conduct raids at food stalls and packaged water supply units to check the quality.

Meanwhile,State Health and Family Welfare Secretary Aswathy S said cholera was found in 10 per cent of the total samples sent from different areas for testing. “We have issued instructions to all district collectors and district-level health officers to continue disinfection drives, cleanness activities and mobilisation of Anganwadi & ASHA workers for at least a week,” Aswathy said.

However, the people with mild diarrhoea (early stage) have started visiting the hospitals, which is a positive sign, Aswathy said. Massive awareness campaigns for maintaining personal hygiene and drinking safe water are underway in the rural pockets of the five districts, she said, adding, the situation will be reviewed every day at State and district levels.