Phulbani: Kidney disease has been playing havoc at Ranipathar village of Sudukumpa panchayat under Khajuripada block of Kandhamal district. In the last few years, more than 10 people in this village have died of the kidney ailment, while over 150 people are affected at present. However, no exact reason is known as to why so many people in the particular panchayat have been affected by the disease. People have been living in apprehension of catching the dreaded disease.
Meanwhile, following directive from the Collector, a medical team visited the village and collected blood samples from the families of the affected and other villagers. This exercise will be carried out for two more days. On the basis of the blood sample reports, investigation will be started to look into the actual cause of the disease. Locals alleged that the administration is least concerned about such steady rise in the number of affected in the village.
No medical team has ever examined the cause of the disease in Nuasahi, Bangalasahi, Rugudisahi and Khandikutisahi of the panchayat, locals lamented. “If anyone is down with fever, all are panicked about possibility of kidney disease,” they said. Till date, six people affected by the kidney disease have died in Ranipathar village while 20 others are affected at present. In Bangalasahi, six are affected while three people have died.
One Champeswar Sahu of Bangalasahi was down with fever seven years ago. He was admitted to the district headquarters hospital. As the fever did not subside, he was referred to Burla medical in Sambalpur where doctors diagnosed that he had kidney issues. For last seven months, another villager Tukuna Behera is confined to his house after getting affected by kidney disease. One Pramod Kumar Behera is also suffering from the same disease and his haemoglobin count is decreasing day by day, locals said. Likewise, many others such as Barun Kahanr, Indrajit Dip, Sukant Behera, Damodar Behera, Gokula Behera and Ratna Behera are affected by the diseases.
However, people suspect that the water from the tube well they use may be the reason for the rise of kidney disease cases in the area. Though they had apprised the administration about their doubt on the groundwater, the latter has not taken any step till date, locals alleged. They had demanded that a medical experts’ team should visit the village to look into the reason for the kidney disease. Contacted, CDMO Manoj Kumar Upadhyay assured of sending a medical team to investigate what is causing the fatal disease there.