18 succumb to mystery fever in Tirunelveli (Possibly several different diseases)

[Ronan Kelly]

I have not come across this report before. It seems distinct from the lepto outbreak. http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139641
Tirunelveli is mentioned as a possible candidate for the Ross River outbreak, but the lethality here seems to be too high for RR. http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138809


18 succumb to mystery fever in Tirunelveli

J Jayasingh SatyarajFirst Published : 12 Jan 2010 02:33:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 12 Jan 2010 07:15:13 AM IST

TIRUNELVELI: Panic gripped people in Kadayanallur area as 18 persons have succumbed to an unknown viral fever during the past 45 days.


Though clinical symptoms resembled chickungunya such as severe temperature, body pain, swelling in the joints, health officials denied it was chickungunya.

Places like Melapalayam and Kadayanallur in the district were the worst affected and a member from almost each family was suffering from this unknown fever.

Four persons died in Kadayanallur last Saturday - Vasantha(44) of Krishnapuram, Kuthpudeen(55) of Rahmaniapuram, Pattani(65) of Mavadikal and Sornalatha(13) of Kaliamman koil South Street. Madhubala (10) from Chokkampatti near Kadayanallur died on Sunday taking the death toll to 18.

The government hospitals at Melapalyam and Kadayanallur examined about 1,500 patients suffering from the fever.

People alleged that the authorities had not taken up sanitation measures to prevent further spread of the disease.

State Health Minister M R K Panneerselvam who was here in Tirunelveli last Thursday to review the measures being taken said that an expert team from The Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) Madurai would examine the cause of the disease.

The medical team from ICMR arrived at Kadayanallur on Sunday and collected 38 blood samples from patients in Kadayanallur Government Hospital and also conducted field survey at Krishnapuram and Pettai areas.

They also collected blood samples from Melapalayam and said that the cause for the fever would be known in another ten days. When contacted Meera Maideen, Deputy Director, Public health Services said results of the blood samples would be known after the virus isolation tests at the ICMR lab.
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/...4A=&SectionName=EL7znOtxBM3qzgMyXZKtxw==&SEO=

 

[alert]

Re: 18 succumb to mystery fever in Tirunelveli

Re: 18 succumb to mystery fever in Tirunelveli

That article is 20 days old. Let's see if we can find an update. I agree that there are too many deaths here for RR or chikungunya. Perhaps malaria or dengue is involved as well. It seems like a bad mosquito season there.

I can't seem to find any update. This might have been the leptospirosis outbreak, as the CFR quoted in the above article is 1.2% (18 out of 1500).

Let's not also forget that one of the easiest ways to produce a "mystery fever" is to have several outbreaks of different diseases at once.

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: 18 succumb to mystery fever in Tirunelveli

Re: 18 succumb to mystery fever in Tirunelveli

‘Central teams to study mystery fever’

Dennis SelvanFirst Published : 21 Jan 2010 03:14:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 21 Jan 2010 06:25:58 AM IST

KANCHEEPURAM: Following the reports of mystery fever in the State, especially in the southern districts, killing many affected people, two Central teams representing National Institute of Virology, Pune and National Institute of Communicable Diseases have come to study the structure of the virus and the teams would submit their reports in a week’s time, said Health Secretary V K Subburaj Spread through the adult mosquitoes, the viral fever, at present plaguing the State, was said to be a combination of chikungunya and leptospirosis, typhoid or a combination of all these three, he told reporters.


Subburaj claimed that the problem was closely linked with water shortage and in districts like Dindigul and Ramanathapuram, where there is acute water shortage the problem was endemic, as the larvae bred in stored water.
Stressing that the people should shoulder 50 per cent responsibility in stopping the spread of mosquitoes at larval stage, he advised that people to clean their underground and overhead water tanks at least once in a month.

The health secretary pointed out that the government has taken new measures to identify one block of panchayat union in each district and make it ‘free of mosquitoes’ and each health district has been asked to identify one block.

For instance, in Kancheepuram district, Walajabad block has been chosen to make it mosquito-free within three months, and the progress report would be submitted to the government, he added.

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Comments This is the result of criminal neglect by the Karunanidhi government. The amount of hundreds of crores squandered under inflated contracts to distrubute free gifts just to secure the votes at the expense of health is now taking a toll. You are paying the penalty of choosing charlatans to run the state.
By vivek
1/21/2010 6:27:00 PM Yes, let us create living conditions which are safe, clean and inhospitable to deadly mosquitoes.
By Kumari Sanghu
1/21/2010 6:00:00 PM While the study is being carried out, every district collector has to make unannounced visits to settlements under panchayats and look at the level of hygiene and sanitation standards maintained. The responsible individuals should be held accountable. Although our government has been announcing a series of measures, the implementation of them is not monitored. When you move through certain villages in Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kaniyakumari districts, you are struck ad nauseam: stench emanating from uncleared garbage, stagnant water, the absence of drainage, people defecating in the open fields and poultry/animal waste strewn around. Unless sincere efforts are made, the study by even an international team will prove to be a damp squib.
By Ignatius Fernando
1/21/2010 12:40:00 PM

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/...4A=&SectionName=EL7znOtxBM3qzgMyXZKtxw==&SEO=

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: 18 succumb to mystery fever in Tirunelveli

Re: 18 succumb to mystery fever in Tirunelveli

Mention of Ramanathapuram above may link it to this thread:
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=135470

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: 18 succumb to mystery fever in Tirunelveli (Possibly several different diseases)

Some case descriptions from 2-3 weeks ago.

One more dies of mystery fever near Bodi

Express News ServiceFirst Published : 23 Jan 2010 06:44:00 AM ISTLast Updated :


BODI: Another boy died of a ?mystery fever? near Bodi on Friday. Rajaganapathi (14), was the son of Muthiah, a farm worker of Melachockanathapuram village. He was a student of Standard IX at a school here.


He developed a fever on Thursday, was treated at a private hospital and then taken back home. But, he ran a fever on Friday morning and his parents again took him to the same hospital where they were advised to take him to a government hospital. But, he died on the way to the GH.

On January 10, another boy from Bodi, Naveenkumar had also died of a mystery fever. The death of Rajaganapathi has created panic among the residents of Bodi. Sources at the private hospital where Rajaganapathi had been treated revealed that he had shown symptoms of brain fever.

When Thirumurugan, the block medical officer of Bodi, was asked about the schoolboy?s death, he said blood and urine samples of 10 persons suffering from this ?mystery fever? had been collected and that he was awaiting the report that would identify the cause of this fever. The health department, in the meanwhile, was carrying out preventive steps, and fogging measures were on full swing, he assured.

However, people in the area contend that such measures were being carried out in a lackadaisical manner. There was also an acute shortage of sanitary workers in the municipality and panchayats, resulting in the accumulation of garbage, they added. The large number of stray pigs and dogs were also a menace, they complained.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/...4A=&SectionName=EL7znOtxBM3qzgMyXZKtxw==&SEO=

And the boy Naveen Kumar;

'11-yr-old boy did not die of dengue'


Express News ServiceFirst Published : 13 Jan 2010 03:28:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 13 Jan 2010 07:06:39 AM IST

MADURAI: The blood samples of the 11- year-old boy who died on Monday tested negative for dengue. Naveen Kumar, a Class VI student, from Bodi, was running fever for three days and had been referred to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai for further treatment by a private hospital where he was treated initially.


The blood and phlegm samples of the boy were taken by the doctors to be tested.

When the results came, the boy was said to have been suffering from viral encephalitis (this may be due to acute infection or as one of the symptoms of a latent infection) which had lead to his death.

According to GRH DeanS M Shivakumar, the tests carried out with the samples taken from the boy showed that the boy was not affected by dengue virus.

Asked about the three medical college students undergoing treatment at GRH, Shivakumar told Express that only one male student had tested positive for dengue.

He added that the results of the other two women students were awaited. Further, he said that all the three were fit to be discharged.

Shivakumar maintained that the fluctuation in the turnout of mystery fever patients in the hospital was negligible.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/...4A=&SectionName=EL7znOtxBM3qzgMyXZKtxw==&SEO=