India: Andhra Pradesh: Unidentified fever deaths in Chittoor - speculation of Yellow Fever

[Ronan Kelly]

18 deaths in 50 days under single Primary Health Centre in Chittoor
By Express News Service | Published: 28th October 2017 02:01 AM |
Last Updated: 28th October 2017 08:23 AM | A+A A- |

Image used for representational purpose
TIRUPATI: AS many as 18 people have died of mysterious fevers in the last 50 days in villages under the Panduru Primary Health Centre in Varadaiahpalem mandal of Chittoor district. But the deaths came to light only on Friday during an inquiry by a Central Government Health team that visited a health camp being run by the district medical and health department for the last 45 days in the area. Going through the records and diagnostic reports, the central team, headed by Dr Pranav Varma, deputy director, and comprising Dr Piyush Jain, associate professor, Dr Gavendra Singh, consultant, and Dr Deepak, AP state entomologist, found something was amiss.
...
he number of deaths, according to them, stood at 18 including that of Radhika, a 29-year-old, who had died recently. All of the victims, it transpired, had exhibited similar symptoms, but doctors couldn?t pinpoint the exact reason for their deaths.

Officials of the health department, however, did not record any of the deaths. When the Central team asked them why they hadn?t, they admitted to being aware of the deaths, but did not record them since ?they were not caused either by malaria, dengue or swine flu?.
...
http://www.newindianexpress.com/sta...rimary-health-centre-in-chittoor-1685255.html

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Exodus of women, children begins in Andhra Pradesh as mysterious fever claims several lives
By Express News Service | Published: 30th October 2017 09:52 AM |
Last Updated: 30th October 2017 09:52 AM | A+A A- |

A Central Health Team along with district officials during a survey at Karepakkam in Chittoor district | Express
TIRUPATI: With a mysterious fever claiming several lives in some villages of Varadaiahpalem mandal in Chittoor district, people in those villages have started migrating to other places. Women and children of the six villages are being sent to their relatives? places. The six villages have witnessed 18 deaths due to the mysterious fever in the last 50 days. Worried about their loved ones falling victim to the fever, the men of Bathala Vallam, Racha Kandriga, Karepakam, Pulivalam, Thonduru and Rachapalem have started sending their women and children to their in-laws? houses by assuming that they would be safe there.

According to the villagers, when the mysterious fever broke out two months ago, they alerted the medical staff at the Primary Health Centre and even informed the matter to the DM&HO. However, the response was lukewarm, they said. ?Nothing much was done. A medical team from Panduru PHC visited us and a health camp was conducted for a few days even though at least one death due to the mysterious fever was being reported every two or three days,? an elderly person from Racha Kandriga said.
...
http://www.newindianexpress.com/sta...rious-fever-claims-several-lives-1686744.html

 

[Ronan Kelly]

40 yellow fever cases in AP; Chittoor worst hit
By Express News Service | Published: 29th October 2017 01:47 AM |
Last Updated: 29th October 2017 11:37 AM | A+A A- |

VIJAYAWADA: After malaria and dengue, the State is in the grip of yellow fever. Over 40 people across the State, especially in Chittoor district, are suffering from yellow fever. Medical teams are visiting the affected areas to look after treatment and find out reasons behind the yellow fever outbreak.

During the last three months, as many as 20 yellow fever cases were reported in Chittoor district alone. Initially, the doctors described these cases as dengue, but later notified it as yellow fever. As many as 25 people have been undergoing treatment in Nellore district. Seven death cases were registered so far in the State with symptoms of yellow fever.
...
http://www.newindianexpress.com/sta...r-cases-in-ap-chittoor-worst-hit-1685884.html

 

[Ronan Kelly]

It?s yellow fever not dengue: Chinta Mohan
STAFF REPORTER CHITTOOR, OCTOBER 24, 2017 00:00 IST
UPDATED: OCTOBER 24, 2017 04:55 IST

Former Union minister Chinta Mohan consoling a viral fever sufferer at Rachapalem village of Varadaiahpalem mandal.By Arrangement
Centre urged to check diseases

The former Union Minister Chinta Mohan on Monday claimed that residents Varadaiahpalem mandal in Chittoor district on the Tamil Nadu border were not suffering from dengue, but from ?yellow fever?, a fatal disease found in India for the first time.

He said that the Union government should immediately depute teams of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to the mandal, and stop the disease from spreading alarmingly.
...
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-pape...r-not-dengue-chinta-mohan/article19908940.ece

30-member medical team visits Chittoor
STAFF REPORTER CHITTOOR, OCTOBER 26, 2017 00:00 IST
UPDATED: OCTOBER 26, 2017 04:52 IST

Medical staff with a patient at roadside in Varadaiahpalem in Chittoor district on Wednesday.
Conducts door-to-door survey over suspected prevalence of viral fevers

A 30-member team of medical and paramedical staff from the office of the District Medical and Health Office (DMHO), Sri Venkateswara Medical College and staff of the Public Health Centres rushed to six villages in Varadaiahpalem mandal on Wednesday, and conducted door-to-door survey and scrutiny of records pertaining to the suspected prevalence of viral fevers.

The team led by the District Surveillance Officer Annareddy Sudarsan, District Malaria Officer Srinivasa Rao and District Epidemiologist V. Nagaraju verified the out-patient and in-patient information at the local government hospitals, to ascertain the cases of jaundice- related ailments.

Dr. Sudarsan said there were no cases which showed symptoms of yellow fever in the six villages, which bore the brunt of viral fevers since three months, including 17 casualties. ?As per instructions from the District Collector, we are thoroughly following up all the cases under treatment for the seasonal fevers,? he said.
...
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-pape...eam-visits-varadaiahpalem/article19921435.ece

Central team arrives to investigate mysterious fevers in Chittoor district
STAFF REPORTER CHITTOOR, OCTOBER 28, 2017 00:00 IST
UPDATED: OCTOBER 28, 2017 05:02 IST

A team of medical experts from New Delhi at a gramsabha at Battalavallam village in Chittoor district on Friday.
Villagers allege delayed response from government hospitals

A six-member high-level delegation of medical experts from various Central institutes from New Delhi and Kerala rushed to Varadaiahpalem mandal in the district on Friday, responding to the series of reports in The Hindu about the mystery shrouding the febrile illness of several villages during the last three months, with as many as 20 casualties reported due to suspected dengue and viral fevers. The situation assumed serious proportions when the former Union Minister and former Tirupati MP Chinta Mohan on Tuesday last expressed doubts about prevalence of yellow fever in the region.

The Central team consisting of members ? Dr. Piyush Jain from Dr RML Hospital; Dr. Pranay Varma from National Centre for Disease Control; Dr. Gavendra Singh from National Vector-borne Disease Control Programme; Dr. Himanshu Chauhan from Directorate General of Health Services (New Delhi); Dr. Amukumar Balakrishnan from National Institute of Virology (Alleppy); Dr. Chandrasekhar Gedam (ROWFW, Hyderabad) ? held a gramasabha (village assemblage) at Battalavallam, which bore the brunt of febrile illness, reporting five casualties in a month, while 25 others have reportedly been undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Nellore and Chennai.
...
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-pape...stigate-mysterious-fevers/article19935800.ece

Expert team collects samples in fever-hit Varadaiahpalem
STAFF REPORTER CHITTOOR, OCTOBER 29, 2017 00:00 IST
UPDATED: OCTOBER 29, 2017 04:18 IST

The six-member team of medical experts, formed by the Geneva-based World Health Organisation (WHO), on second day of its visit on Saturday made a whirlwind tour of Battalavallam, Karipakkam, Rachakandriga, Chinna Pandur and Pulivallam of Varadaiahpalem mandal in Chittoor district and made an in-depth study of as many as ten casualty cases due to suspected dengue and viral fevers since the first week of September.

District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Aruna Sulochana Devi told The Hindu that all the fever cases, including suspected dengue, from the mandal were shifted to SVRR Hospital in Tirupati, and the area hospitals in Srikalahasti and Satyavedu.

?A senior official of the WHO is in touch with us and has enquired about the reported prevalence of yellow fever in the region. We have informed the team that the region is known for prevalence typhoid, malaria, swine flu and other viral fevers. The expert team?s visit to all the vulnerable panchayats in the mandal found no symptoms of yellow fever, but possible cases of dengue. The Collector is personally monitoring the situation here and issued instructions for shifting of all fever cases and their care till they get discharged,? the DMHO said.
...
Meanwhile, a medical officer observed that some fever patients using antibiotics and B-complex capsules, who generally urinate yellow, might have mistaken the symptoms for yellow fever.
...

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-pape...-fever-hit-varadaiahpalem/article19943223.ece