Mysterious fever in Gujarat's Kutch district claims 15 lives
A mysterious fever has claimed the lives of 15 people in Lakhpat, a town in Gujarat's Kutch district, over the past eight days. The initial victims included children and adults alike, with 10 fatalities reported between September 3 and September 7. Since then, five more deaths have been recorded. The cause of this sudden outbreak remains unknown as authorities scramble to identify the disease.
Disease samples sent to Pune for identification
District Collector Amit Arora confirmed that 11 samples from the deceased have been sent to Pune's National Institute of Virology for analysis. "The results are expected to arrive in a day or two. We will have to wait for the results to find out whether this is a known virus or something new," he stated. Preliminary tests have ruled out common diseases such as H1N1, swine flu, Crimean-Congo fever, malaria, and dengue.
Surveillance teams deployed amid fever outbreak
In response to the outbreak, 22 surveillance teams and additional doctors have been deployed in Lakhpat. The town, which shares its borders with Pakistan, is currently under close observation by health officials. Arora also clarified that the deaths did not appear to be a result of contamination or communicable disease. It, however, coincides with a period of heavy rainfall and flooding in the region. Kutch has experienced the highest rainfall this season, recording about 890mm of rain as of Tuesday.
Patients had fever, cold, cough, pneumonia
According to residents, patients had fever, cold, cough, and pneumonia and were having difficulties breathing. But another district panchayat member, Mamd Jung Jat, said doctors were unable to accurately diagnose the disease. While some of the symptoms are similar to those observed in pneumonitis, the Rapid Response Team (RRT) is conducting further investigations into the deaths to determine the exact cause.
