By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, April 11, 2016 : Jaundice in Odisha capital here has gone worse with more than 50 cases already detected.

As many as 53 persons are officially down with this disease which is alarmingly spreading its tentacles, mostly in slum areas.

Worse still is the fact that it is spreading to newer areas like Kargil Basti with 10 more blood samples being sent for tests on Monday.

Cases of jaundice have also been reported from many other slums like Jarana Basti and Tarini Basti.

Sources said the disease is spreading in the slum areas because of the people’s inaccessibility to adequate safe drinking water. The signs of pollutions are well marked all-around; tube-wells, bore-wells and other water sources.

As many as 12 teams of public health departments were engaged in sanitation drive in Jharana Basti on Saturday. This slum has officially reported 12 cases of jaundice while the actual number is said to be around 200.

Five cases of jaundice have been reported from Tarini Basti. Sources said at least 10 persons in Damana slum are down with jaundice.

An official of the public health department said on the condition of anonymity that the situation in Tarini slum and Kargil slum are quite serious.

The Odisha government has decided to open a screening camp from today. At least one child specialist and medicine specialist will be in the screening camp which will be headed by a senior office of public health department.

Besides, the government has decided to undertake awareness drive in Kedarapali and some other areas.

The public health department (PHD) undertook 114 health checkups and collected 38 blood, 47 urine samples in the affected area.