Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : August 2, 2022 11:07 AM IST
Several states of India are dealing with diarrhoea outbreak amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Odisha confirmed death of 17 people due to diarrhoea on Monday, while the outbreak the disease claimed nine children in Arunachal Pradesh's Tirap district on the same day.
Odisha's Health Minister Naba Kishore Das informed the state Assembly on Monday that so far, as many as 432 people have been infected with diarrhoea in the state, including 17 deaths.
According to the minister, the first outbreak of diarrhoea was reported in Kashipur block of Rayagada district on July 13, and 10 people have died due to the disease in the region. The others deceased persons were from Jharsuguda district, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Sonepur, Nuapada, and Gajapati districts.
In Arunachal Pradesh, diarrhoea claimed nine children (who were aged between 3-10 years) in the remote Lazu area of Tirap district on Monday. Many others have also fallen ill in the past one week, according to Obang Taggu, the District Medical Officer (DMO).
As stated by the state health officials, consumption of contaminated water and open defecation in forests, bushes and nearby water bodies in the hilly area are believed to be the cause the outbreak of diarrhoea.
To tackle the diarrhoea outbreak and provide treatment to the infected people on a war-footing way, the Odisha government has formed and deployed rapid response teams in all affected districts.
The health minister told the assembly that efforts are being made to provide safe and clean drinking water to people.
Waterborne diseases are common during the monsoon. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the water you're drinking is safe and clean. While the government authorities are doing their best to provide us with clean and safe drinking water, you can also look for ways to purify drinking water at home.
Can't afford to install an RO Water Filter or RO UV Water Purifier? Here are other alternative methods to purify drinking water.
Boil it and then strain the water through a microporous sieve. This will help remove the dead micro-organisms and impurities settled at the bottom of the water.
Try chlorination: This old technique of adding chlorine to drinking water is a quick way to kill microorganisms in the water and make it safe for consumption.
Solar Purification: This is a process of treating water with the sun's ultraviolet radiation effectively kills micro-organisms present in the water. It's simple, just fill a plastic bottle with water, shake it to activate the oxygen and keep it in the sunlight.
Iodine addition: While this method is another effective method to purify drinking water, the addition of iodine can give an unpleasant taste. Moreover, consumption of iodine water in high doses can be fatal. So, experts suggest using this method only if you don't have access other safer methods of purification.
