Sambalpur:
With jaundice spreading in Sambalpur, Odisha's health department will send water samples to National Institute of Virology in Pune for laboratory test.
Chief District Medical Officer(CDMO), Jagatkrushna Samantray said, "Around 20 jaundice cases are being reported in the district headquarter hospital daily and 5 to 7 jaundice patients are taking admission in the hospital daily."
Steps to check the spread of the disease was reviewed at meeting yesterday and the water samples would be sent to Pune within two days, he said.
Contaminated water appeared to be the reason behind the spread of the disease, he said adding a household survey by four teams was being conducted to ascertain the cause and the source.
"During the survey we found that 677 persons had been infected by jaundice between June and November in Sambalpur city. The survey also found that six persons had died due to the disease during the period," said additional district medical officer, public health, Ashok Das.
Water supply pipelines are adjacent to drains at many places in the city, he said adding due to leakages in the supply pipelines, the drain water is seeping through and contaminating water meant for drinking.
Steps were also taken to create awareness of the people about the disease and precautionary measures, he said.