Over 1,000 people have been infected in a suspected cholera outbreak since December 11 in Rourkela in Odisha. The State government put the death toll at six. Most cases have been treated at the Government Hospital in the city.
In a letter, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan urgently sought the intervention of Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The letter came a day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik instructed officials to assess the situation and bring the outbreak under control.
Officials said all deaths due to suspected diarrhoeal infections were being audited to ascertain the cause. Studies pointed out the presence of cholera bacterium in stools of patients.
