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Re: Approximately 68 deaths due to mystery fever in Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh - possibly dengue
There is some idea of massive bacterial (strep/staph?) infections going on here as well. The rapid deaths might also indicate possible toxic exposures as well.
Death marches in Khadra as experts quibble over cause Fri, Oct 29 05:42 AM
Death has been on the rampage in Khadra, an otherwise quiet area on the Sitapur Road — hitting over 30 households in the last two weeks.
Most have died of a viral fever, four deaths were reported in the last two days. In Lucknow, health authorities are busy denying that the virus concerned is dengue, even though reports by two teams of doctors — from the Centre and the state — say the dengue or a dengue-like fever is there in the area. Two medical camps have been running at two centers in Khadra for the last 10 days.
According to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr AK Shukla, only 19 deaths have occurred in the area — though locals claim the figure is 32.
Shukla also claims dengue is non-existent in the area, even though at least three people from Khadra tested positive for dengue according to the state health directorate's own data. "Not all the people who died had fever," he said. "Deaths are occurring due to infections caused by unhygienic conditions and cleanliness of the area is not the responsibility of the health department."
A medical team from the Centre, however, said cases of dengue have been detected in the area. "Most of the samples taken from Khadra tested positive for dengue," said Dr AC Dhariwal, Director, National Vect or Borne Disease Control Programme, Department of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi.
A team from CSMMU, which had been investigating the cause of deaths in Khadra, has come to a similar conclusion.
"Our team concluded that a majority of the 13 deaths we had been asked to review were because of dengue or a dengue-like virus," said Dr Kausar Usman, a member of the team. "There is a definite need to collect samples to know the exact organism causing the disease."
The CMO's claims of infections, however, are borne out by the unhygienic environs in Khadra.
Primarily an unauthorised slum, overflowing drains run past every doorstep here. The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) woke to the need of cleaning the choked drains after about 20 deaths. But the locals say the cleanliness drive is just an eyewash and usually, the LMC's sanitation workers are a rare sight.
"After deaths began, they came to clean the drains," said Satish Nishad, brother of Sanjeet Nishad who died suffering from fever and vomiting on October 16.
"Four days ago, a sanitation worker came and cleaned the area. I have not seen him again. We try to keep the area clean ourselves," said Padmavati Mishra, wife of Prakash Chandra Mishra, who died on Thursday morning at the CSMMU's Trauma Center with the same symptoms — fever and vomiting.
Medical reports from the hospital said he was suffering from septicemia.
"The cleaning of the drains was more of a pain. The sanitary workers left the muck on the roadside, causing a more unhygienic situation," said Bali Ram, who lost his three-and-a-half-year old granddaughter, Anushka, to the fever. "She was fine a day before. After the slime was removed from the drains, she became ill and died within a day, on October 24," said Ram.
There is some idea of massive bacterial (strep/staph?) infections going on here as well. The rapid deaths might also indicate possible toxic exposures as well.
Death marches in Khadra as experts quibble over cause Fri, Oct 29 05:42 AM
Death has been on the rampage in Khadra, an otherwise quiet area on the Sitapur Road — hitting over 30 households in the last two weeks.
Most have died of a viral fever, four deaths were reported in the last two days. In Lucknow, health authorities are busy denying that the virus concerned is dengue, even though reports by two teams of doctors — from the Centre and the state — say the dengue or a dengue-like fever is there in the area. Two medical camps have been running at two centers in Khadra for the last 10 days.
According to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr AK Shukla, only 19 deaths have occurred in the area — though locals claim the figure is 32.
Shukla also claims dengue is non-existent in the area, even though at least three people from Khadra tested positive for dengue according to the state health directorate's own data. "Not all the people who died had fever," he said. "Deaths are occurring due to infections caused by unhygienic conditions and cleanliness of the area is not the responsibility of the health department."
A medical team from the Centre, however, said cases of dengue have been detected in the area. "Most of the samples taken from Khadra tested positive for dengue," said Dr AC Dhariwal, Director, National Vect or Borne Disease Control Programme, Department of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi.
A team from CSMMU, which had been investigating the cause of deaths in Khadra, has come to a similar conclusion.
"Our team concluded that a majority of the 13 deaths we had been asked to review were because of dengue or a dengue-like virus," said Dr Kausar Usman, a member of the team. "There is a definite need to collect samples to know the exact organism causing the disease."
The CMO's claims of infections, however, are borne out by the unhygienic environs in Khadra.
Primarily an unauthorised slum, overflowing drains run past every doorstep here. The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) woke to the need of cleaning the choked drains after about 20 deaths. But the locals say the cleanliness drive is just an eyewash and usually, the LMC's sanitation workers are a rare sight.
"After deaths began, they came to clean the drains," said Satish Nishad, brother of Sanjeet Nishad who died suffering from fever and vomiting on October 16.
"Four days ago, a sanitation worker came and cleaned the area. I have not seen him again. We try to keep the area clean ourselves," said Padmavati Mishra, wife of Prakash Chandra Mishra, who died on Thursday morning at the CSMMU's Trauma Center with the same symptoms — fever and vomiting.
Medical reports from the hospital said he was suffering from septicemia.
"The cleaning of the drains was more of a pain. The sanitary workers left the muck on the roadside, causing a more unhygienic situation," said Bali Ram, who lost his three-and-a-half-year old granddaughter, Anushka, to the fever. "She was fine a day before. After the slime was removed from the drains, she became ill and died within a day, on October 24," said Ram.
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