Japanese Encephalitis Deaths Toll Reaches 57 In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: As the Japanese Encephalitis deaths continue unabated in Odisha’s Malkangiri district, the Odisha Government on Sunday appointed a senior bureaucrat to monitor and oversee measures to check the spread of the disease.

Nruparaj Sahu, Deputy Secretary of Panchayati Raj department, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to monitor the situation in the Malkangiri district.

The killer disease has so far claimed 57 lives in the district within 36 days.

Sahu will be camping in Malkangiri for two months for effective coordination between departments in order bring the menace under control.

Meanwhile, opposition BJP triggered its gun at the state government for failing to control the Japanese Encephalitis menace in the state.

BJP General Secretary Bhrugu Baxipatra alleged that 150 have died of it in Malkangiri district alone.

He said while the state government had announced to distribute 30 lakh mosquito nets, only 11,000 have been distributed.