A jaundice outbreak at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) in Odisha's Khurda district has left over 40 students sick, sparking an urgent investigation by health officials. The trouble reportedly began right after the Christmas break at the Gurujang residential campus. According to Public Health Director Nilakantha Mishra, the first case was spotted when a student returned from vacation already showing symptoms, but the illness quickly spread to dozens of others shortly after.
The situation escalated enough to bring in a state-level medical team on Monday, following an initial visit by district health staff over the weekend. While the focus has naturally turned toward the school's water supply, Rajendranath Nayak, the General Manager of the Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO), suggested the source might lie elsewhere. He noted that while they’ve taken water samples for testing to be sure, early suspicions point toward contaminated food brought in from outside rather than a pipe-level issue.
For now, the school is under close watch as officials wait for the lab results to confirm exactly how the disease managed to sweep through the dormitory so fast. Health teams are staying on-site to monitor the infected students and ensure the outbreak doesn't claim any more victims.
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