Odisha Health Department Issues Statewide Vigil Over Scrub Typhus and Diarrhoea

19 Sep 2026, 11:57 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

Bhubaneswar: Routine clinical screening and serological testing across Odisha have uncovered no confirmed scrub typhus infections, state health authorities announced, urging the public to avoid alarm over seasonal disease outbreaks.

State Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling confirmed that ELISA diagnostics—the decisive medical standard required to verify the bacterial illness—have continuously come back negative for suspected patients. State records show that no fresh laboratory-confirmed positive cases have surfaced since January.

Addressing journalists, the minister stated that reports suggesting an outbreak in Sundargarh likely point to older medical cases, which specialized teams are currently re-examining. A suspicious case recently tracked in Palalahada within Anugola district was formally ruled out after laboratory ELISA screenings yielded negative findings.

To evaluate field realities firsthand, the Health and Family Welfare Department dispatched an expert monitoring team to both Palalahada and Sundargarh. Mahaling noted that he is personally supervising developments alongside a structured weekly department review.

The department has circulated formal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and comprehensive management guidelines instructing hospital networks and district administrations to maintain heightened epidemiological surveillance for rapid case detection.

Parallel to vector-borne disease scrutiny, state medical teams have mobilized to contain diarrhoeal illness in Rayagada and adjacent localities. The administration has deployed dedicated monitoring units to track transmission, dispatching essential pharmaceutical supplies and establishing clinical support in affected hamlets.

Health officials have urged communities in the region to rely exclusively on safe, treated drinking water, warning that contaminated water and unhygienic food supplies serve as the primary conduits for diarrhoeal illness. Working alongside medical personnel, the Food Safety Department has expanded food inspections across markets and vending zones to restrict the sale of compromised provisions.

District health officials across Odisha remain under standing orders to enforce state guidelines and guarantee prompt medical intervention wherever symptoms emerge.