Bhubaneswar, Nov. 8: Laxmi Agali, 18 months, today died in Malkangiri taking the toll in the district due to Japanese encephalitis to 104 in 61 days.

Laxmi succumbed to the disease while undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit of the district headquarters hospital. At present, 35 children are undergoing treatment for the disease at the hospital.

Protesting against the state government's failure to check the unabated death of the children, the Zilla Adivasi Maha Sangha of Malkangiri district today observed a 12-hour strike. All shops downed their shutters and vehicles stayed off the roads voluntarily to show their solidarity with the families of the tribal people, who have lost their children over the past two months. The association demanded compensation of Rs 10 lakh to each of the families that had lost a child. It also demanded that the situation in Malkangiri district be declared a national emergency.

Health services director Kailash Chandra Das said: "An expert team of doctors and scientists of national repute are on a visit to the district and trying to find out the reasons behind the outbreak of Japanese encephalitis. We are hopeful that the health department will be able to check the disease shortly and the immunisation programme will kick off from the second week of December."

The state government today directed health officials of Koraput, Nabarangpur, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts to take steps to check the outbreak of Japanese encephalitis.

Besides, it also geared up to strengthen the health infrastructure in the state and served notices to 120 absentee doctors and asked them join duty within 15 days, failing which disciplinary action would be taken against them.

Health and family welfare secretary Arti Ahuja said: "The medical officers have either not joined at their new place of posting or deserted their place of duty wilfully and without authorisation for a long period. Attempts have been made to ascertain their addresses to communicate with them, but their whereabouts could not be known as they have not intimated their present address to their immediate authorities."

Last year, the state government had terminated the services of 408 doctors for not joining duty. "In order to fill up the vacancies, we have already asked the Odisha Public Service Commission to fill up 808 posts of doctors. The recruitment authority has already approved the appointment of 363 doctors," said an official.