Sambalpur: Central Team of Health Department in SBP, Instructions for Advanced Testing

Sambalpur/Burla: A team of the Ministry of Health of the Union Government has reached Sambalpur today to study the scrub typhus. In Sundergarh, Bargarh, and Sambalpur districts of the state, while there is an outbreak of scrub typhus, some people have died due to this disease. After visiting Burla Vimsar in the morning to check the situation, the team reached the Sambalpur district headquarters hospital and discussed with the officials of the health department. They inspected the laboratory of the district headquarters hospital and suggested testing in the advanced system. Also, they had a detailed discussion in the room of Superintendent Professor Lalmohan Naik in Vimsar.

The team included Dr. Samir Gulati, Dr. Tushar Nale, Dr. Dhara B. Shah, and Dr. Arushi Ghai in the central team, and Dr. Surjit Garbadu, Epidemiologist of the State Health Department. Difficulties in facilities for scrub typhus at Vimsar were discussed The Central Team expressed displeasure with the testing being done at Vimsar’s laboratory. Vimsar is a leading referral center in Western Odisha, so, like primary health centers, emphasizes conducting high-quality tests without just tenting the card.

The meeting was attended by representatives of central and state health departments along with Sambalpur ADMO Ashok Das, Dr. Sanjeev Mishra and Dr. Shankar Ramchandani. In Vimsar last September, 4,500 Scrub Typhus patients’ cards were tested, out of which only 28 samples were positive from the hospital. The central team had a detailed discussion on why the patients were dying and what measures should be taken to prevent it, while the scrub typhus disease was not so dangerous. On the other hand, within the next 7 days, better quality test services will be started, Superintendent Mr. Naik said.

/