Bhubaneswar, June 20: The death toll from diphtheria in Odisha has risen to six following another fatality at MKCG Medical College and Hospital.

Among the four individuals receiving treatment for diphtheria, a minor boy in critical condition succumbed to the disease on Thursday, as confirmed by the hospital's superintendent, Suchitra Das. The deceased boy hailed from Bandhugaon village in Koraput district.

Previously, five children had died from diphtheria, highlighting the severity of the outbreak.

In response, the Odisha government initiated a special vaccination drive on Wednesday in Rayagada district, focusing on the Kasipur area where the five earlier deaths occurred.

With the outbreak spreading to neighboring districts Kalahandi and Koraput, the Health and Family Welfare Department has instructed district administrations to implement preventive measures to curb the spread of the disease.

These measures include administering pentavalent vaccines to children under one year, single-dose diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and tetanus (DPT) vaccines to children aged one to seven, and tetanus and diphtheria (TD) doses to children over seven years old.

Powered by Froala Editor