At least 10 children and two adults have died of an ‘unknown’ disease in four different villages under Noamundi block in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand during the past 15-20 days, putting the district health department on the edge.
Health officials said on Monday that all the deaths were in different villages and tollahs in malaria-prone remote Naxalite violence-hit hilly and forested areas.
A health team was sent to Gitikendu village, 30 km away from the block headquarter Noamundi, on Monday to examine other sick people and assess the situation on the ground. Three children, 2-year-old Pani Purty, 2-year-old Gita Languri, 2-year-old Ranjit Angariya, 18-year-old Jena Sirka and 25-year-old Ram Sirka alias Selay have died in Gitikendu village during the past fortnight.
Earlier, health department teams had identified five malaria patients in Nuia village where two kids – 12-year-old Bablu Champia and 10-year-old Rohit Champia had died of this ‘unknown’ disease.
Deaths of four more children were reported from Lupunga village, adjacent to Nuia village, during the past 14 days. 11-yeat-old Mani Kerai, daughter of Birsingh Kerai, also died on Thursday in Chumbrusai tollah in Pokhria village under Noamundi block while about a dozen villagers have fallen sick in the village during the period.
“We have sent a team to Gitikendu village today. They will camp there and medically examine the sick people and assess the situation. Three children have died in the village apart from four in Lupunga, two in Nuia and one in Pokhariya during the past 15-20 days. Most of them had high fever and our preliminary suspicion is that they might have died of malaria. We have found five sick people testing positive in Nuia village. The entire area is inside a deep forest and malaria has been prevalent in the area. Further investigation and action will be taken as per the guidance of the senior authorities,” Dr Narendra Kishor Sundi, in-charge of Noamundi community health centre (CHC), said on Monday.
{{/usCountry}}“We have sent a team to Gitikendu village today. They will camp there and medically examine the sick people and assess the situation. Three children have died in the village apart from four in Lupunga, two in Nuia and one in Pokhariya during the past 15-20 days. Most of them had high fever and our preliminary suspicion is that they might have died of malaria. We have found five sick people testing positive in Nuia village. The entire area is inside a deep forest and malaria has been prevalent in the area. Further investigation and action will be taken as per the guidance of the senior authorities,” Dr Narendra Kishor Sundi, in-charge of Noamundi community health centre (CHC), said on Monday.
{{/usCountry}}West Singhbhum civil surgeon Dr Om Prakash Gupta said this is no epidemic or case of mass-infection as the four deaths in Lupunga village were reported from four different tollahs. “Some of them had high fever while some were having acute loose motion and such symptoms. We have done verbal autopsy and villagers are not able to give much information. Many sick people have tested positive for malaria and treatment is being done accordingly. We are keeping a close eye on these villages and further investigation is on,” Dr Gupta said.