Re: Haryana: Two girls die of undiagnosed disease
Despite the mention of the oil and the water, this does sound a lot like dengue...
http://www.indianews.org.in/adminis...lage-samlehri-of-district-ambala/archives/324
Administrative officials visited village Samlehri of district Ambala
Chandigarh, May 23 ? Mrs Renu Phulia, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ambala along with Civil Surgeon, Dr Narender Chaudhary, Principal Medical Officer, Dr Major G. Kumar, SDM Barara, Mr Prem Chand, Executive Engineer, Public Health Engineering Department, Mr S.K. Bhatia and other officers today visited village Samlehri of district Ambala, where two girls ? Disha and Priyanka have died of a mysterious disease and some other people including children were laid up with this disease.
Swelling on legs and mouth and pain in body are the symptoms of this mysterious disease.
On the apprehensions expressed by some villagers that contaminated water might be the cause of the disease, the officers of the Public Health Engineering Department immediately took samples of the water and sent them to the laboratory for testing. They assured the villagers that after inquiry strict action would be taken against the person(s) found guilty. Mr S.K. Bhatia, Executive Engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department said that he himself had taken the water of the village tube?well and to the best of his knowledge the water was fit for drinking. Drinking water pipes of the village had also been got checked and in future more precautions would be exercised so that people of the village might not face any problem due to leakages in the pipes, etc, he added.
Expressing apprehensions about the mysterious disease, the officers of the Health Department said that a village shopkeeper might be responsible for this disease, as he used to sell
mustard oil brought from Uttar Pradesh. The oil sold by the shopkeeper might be adulterated or spurious, as most of the people using this oil had fallen ill.
The samples of the oil had been sent to the laboratory for the testing and the shopkeeper had been forbidden to sell the oil.
On the demand of the villagers, 40 patients have been referred to a private hospital at Babiyal under the supervision of Dr Hameer Mazumdar and Dr Surender Mohan of the Health Department. In addition to it, Deputy Civil Surgeon, Dr Ashok Sharma, SMO Mullana, Dr V.K. Bansal, Dr Anurag and Pathologist Dr Bharti are checking the health of the villagers and treating them at Primary Health Centre, Samlehri. Besides, Doctors of Ambala Cantt. and Ambala City have also been asked to be vigilant in view of this disease. A team of the doctors, lab technicians and five ambulances have been deputed in the village and the situation is being constantly monitored.
The Additional Deputy Commissioner has appealed to the villagers to exercise restraint, beware of rumours and extend cooperation to the district administration.
Civil Surgeon, Dr Narender Chaudhary and Principal Medical Officer, Dr Major G. Kumar said that efforts were being made to find out the reasons of the disease and further comments on the disease could be made only after receiving report of water and mustard oil. The Health Department was making all possible efforts to give best treatment to the people. The entire medical expenditure of the patients would be incurred by the District Red Cross Society. Adequate compensation would also be given to the next of kin of the children who died of this disease. They appealed to the people not to eat open and stale eatables, cut and rotten fruit and not to use juice of sugarcane and ice-balls.
Mrs Renu Phulia interacted with the former President of Zila Parishad Mr Brahma Pal Rana, Principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Mrs Renu Aggarwal, Doctors of the Primary Health Centre of the village and other responsible persons of the village and enquired of them about the disease. She also visited the house of the deceased children Disha and Priyanka and expressed sympathy with their family members. She also met the people suffering from this disease and appealed them not to take this disease as the curse of God. She advised them to get themselves treated from the doctors.