Five children have died of a mystery fever or a “fever of unidentified origin” in Gadhakasda village on the banks of the Yamuna in Etawah’s Bhareh area, while more than 20 people are still ill, officials said. The latest death was reported on Wednesday, nearly three weeks after the first cases of the illness emerged in the village.
The victims—Satendra, Gungun, Kishan, Sakshi and the child who died on Wednesday—were aged between five and 13 years, officials confirmed. However, the identity of the fifth child could not be ascertained.
The deaths have left families worried as fresh cases continue to emerge and doctors have not yet been able to establish the cause of the fever. The district administration has sent specialist teams to the village to determine what is causing the illness.
Teams from the health department and Saifai medical university have visited the village and collected blood samples, which have been sent to the microbiology department for testing. “The reports are expected in a day or two,” a member of the team said.
Prof Dheeraj Srivastava from the department of community medicine and associate professor Dushyant Rastogi from paediatrics visited the homes of the children who died and those currently ill. They spoke to their families and documented their symptoms and medical history. District malaria officer SN Singh was also part of the team.
Medical camps have been set up in the village, where residents are being examined and provided medicines. Two patients have been admitted to the district hospital and two others are being treated at Saifai medical university, officials said, adding that they were also monitoring sanitation in the village. The panchayati raj department has deployed workers to carry out cleanliness-related work, while health teams remain on the ground.
{{/usCountry}}Medical camps have been set up in the village, where residents are being examined and provided medicines. Two patients have been admitted to the district hospital and two others are being treated at Saifai medical university, officials said, adding that they were also monitoring sanitation in the village. The panchayati raj department has deployed workers to carry out cleanliness-related work, while health teams remain on the ground.
{{/usCountry}}District magistrate Shubhrant Kumar Shukla said medical teams from the district headquarters and Saifai medical university had been directed to camp in the village and ensure treatment of those affected. He appealed to residents not to delay treatment or ignore symptoms.