UNDIAGNOSED ILLNESS - INDIA: (GOA) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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Date: Wed 22 Jul 2009
Source: The Times of India (TOI) [edited]
<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4805287.cms>
All 41 households at Mascavrem village in Sanguem have been affected
by the mysterious fever that has been raging through remote and rural
areas of the taluka [administrative division] for the last one month.
This was discovered by a team from the directorate of health services
(DHS) that rushed to the affected areas following a report in this
newspaper on Tuesday [21 Jul 2009].
The team also discovered that the disease had spread to nearby
villages. "We have taken blood samples of 25 patients from Mascavrem
and 16 from Danolem. In Mascavrem, we found that at least one member
of each of the 41 households had suffered from the fever. The samples
will be sent to the microbiology department of the Goa Medical
College (GMC) for tests. The exact cause of the disease will be known
only after we get the results," said Dr Ravindra Nadkarni, chief
medical officer (non-communicable diseases), who led the DHS team.
The DHS team visited Cavrem, Colomb, Curpem, and adjoining areas and
surveyed the villages to identify possible causes of the suspected
fever.
The team, it is learnt, discovered that an abandoned tank, used for
distilling country liquor by the locals, had developed into a
breeding ground for mosquitoes. The team is of the view that the
unhygienic conditions prevailing at the site had led to the spread of
vector-borne diseases in the villages. "We started looking for
possible mosquito breeding grounds and stumbled across this tank at
Mascavrem that had been breeding plenty of mosquitoes. The tank was
possibly used for distilling country liquor and was mysteriously
covered by coconut leaves to camouflage it," Dr Nadkarni told TOI.
He added that DHS would soon launch an awareness campaign to educate
the villagers about the need to eliminate all possible breeding
grounds for mosquitoes and ensure proper sanitation in their
surroundings. "We have fogged the area today [21 Jul 2009], but
awareness needs to be created among the villagers about the steps to
be taken to prevent vector-borne diseases," he added.
Health Services director Rajananda Desai said on Tuesday [21 Jul
2009] that she is monitoring the mystery fever in remote rural areas
of Sanguem taluka. "The local health centre had already taken steps
to identify the cause of the illness," Dr Desai said.
Meanwhile, private medical practitioner from Colomb, Dr Avdhut
Prabhudesai, continues to get fresh cases showing similar symptoms.
"I got 4 more cases today [21 Jul 2009]. It is imperative that the
health authorities act fast and take steps to control the epidemic to
alleviate the sufferings of the rural poor," Dr Prabhudesai told TOI
on Tuesday [21 Jul 2009]. He added that he got in touch with the
director of health services on Tuesday and briefed her about the
cases treated by him during the last 4 weeks.
Dr Prabhudesai has urged the authorities to conduct a thorough
investigation of the cases. "People from as far as Mangal and Devrem
are coming here for treatment which suggests that the epidemic is not
limited to Colomb alone," Dr Prabhudesai said.
[Byline: Govind Kamat Maad]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland
[Since the only symptom reported here is fever, a diagnosis of the
etiological agent involved in these cases is not possible until the
laboratory results or a more complete clinical picture are available.
This report indicates that the local health officials and field staff
think that mosquitoes are involved in this spreading outbreak.
ProMED-mail would appreciate receiving additional information, and
especially laboratory results, as they become available.
Interactive maps of India showing the location of Sanguem in South
Goa district can be accessed at
<http://www.maplandia.com/india/goa/south-goa/sanguem/>
and the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
<http://healthmap.org/r/00Ce>. - Mod.TY]
...................................lm/ty/mj/lm
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