Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Odisha government has initiated a special disinfection drive in the state, particularly in areas affected by recent floods and sporadic diarrhoea outbreaks. The drive is a joint effort of the Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) and Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water (PR&DW) departments. A high-level meeting chaired by Secretary H&FW Aswathy S. was held to discuss the action plan for the drive. Director of Public Health Dr. Nilakantha Mishra presented updates on the current water and vector-borne disease situation across affected areas.
The necessity of social activists, rural communities, and members of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) actively participating in the initiative was emphasized throughout the conference. On July 4 and July 11, a disinfection campaign will be conducted with an emphasis on the village and institution levels. Health facilities, educational institutions, marketplaces, and public areas will all be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected throughout the campaign, and drinking water sources will be highly chlorinated. Health workers, ASHA, and ANM will run awareness campaigns at the village and household levels.
In order to ensure rigorous adherence to food safety regulations, the government has also instructed food safety officials to increase inspections of restaurants, hotels, and bottling factories. District Public Health Officers and Chief District Medical Officers have been required to do in-depth fieldwork and make sure that efforts are focused on outcomes.
Additionally, the government is working to have the necessary supply of snake bite antivenoms on hand, station MBBS physicians in regions threatened by flooding, and step up laboratory surveillance. State-level teams and senior officials will go to impacted regions to closely monitor and oversee field-level operations. With just 190 current cases reported from five districts, the diarrhea issue has been brought under control, suggesting that the efforts are having an impact. The government is also keeping a strict vigil on dengue and malaria situations.
