Unknown epidemic in Honnavar: 3 dead

[Gert van der Hoek]

Unknown epidemic in Honnavar: 3 dead


S.O. News service, Wednesday, January 23, 2008:


Honnavar: The spread of an unknown disease has been reported in Nawayath village in Uppani of Honnavar taluka which left three children dead and many others hospitalized.

According to the sources, the disease is being spread in the area from past four days. The initial symptoms of the disease include fever, diarrhoea and vomiting, which gradually leads to death after two to three days of infection.

The deceased have been identified as Sajida Afreen Ibrahim (11), Khalid Basheer Ahmed (7), Zaheer Ahmed Faquih(14), the students of class V, III and IX respectively. Others who have been affected include six people who have been admitted to different hospitals. Aqueel Khaja(16),a class X student is admitted in Shridevi Hospital Honnavar, Parveen Ahmed Mukhtasar (14),class IX student, admitted in Sharada Nursing Home Karki, while two others have been taken to Mangalore hospital, whose names are unknown. The deceased Sajida's mother, Akhtar Banu Ibrahim (40) and her brother is also infected with the disease and are admitted in Shridevi Hospital, Honnavar.

The spread of this disease have greatly threatened the public of the area. The doctors are not yet successful in identifying the cause of the disease. After receiving the information, the Health Officer from Karwar and other specialized doctors from Mangalore and Bangalore have been ordered to come to Honnavar for help.

Today, the concerned matter was under discussion in the meeting which was held here in Majlis Islah-O-Tanzeem, a social organization in Bhatkal, and it has been approved to send a team of helpers to the affected area.


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[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Unknown epidemic in Honnavar: 3 dead

Deligation of Bhatkal Tanzeem to Honnavar

S.O. News service, Saturday, January 26, 2008:



Bhatkal: A delegation of Majlis E Islah O Tanzeem Bhatkal visited Honnavar on Thursday to meet the patients of weird disease. The delegation consisted of Dr. Sayyed Abdur Rasheed, an expert doctor practicing in Shifa Nursing Home Bhatkal and Mr. Inayathullah Gawai, the editor of SahilOnline. The delegation was headed by Mr. Abdul Qadir Basha Kasarkode, the general secretary of the Tanzeem accompanied by the ex-president of the Tanzeem Mr. Sayyed Mohiddin Barmawar and member of the executive body of the Tanzeem, Mr. Abdur Raqueeb MJ and Dr. Shakir Hussain of Diagnomed.

Akhtar Banu D/o Ibrahim and Yusuf S/o Usman who were admitted in Honnavar Government Hospital are in a better condition, while two more children have been admitted in the hospital for suffering with the same type of ailment, who have been identified as Zakira Banu D/o Sayyed Asif(8), Bibi Abida D/o Ayyub Koya (2).

Both the children are suffering from fever and omitting. Besides it, there are reports of two more children being admitted into Sharda Hospital of Honnavar.

Dr. Abdur Rasheed examined the patients and enquired their parents. The doctor advised to drink boiled water and requested to maintain hygiene. Expressing his view regarding the disease he said that the disease could have been spread by the viral infections.


Talking to the editor of SahilOnline he also said, that the possibility of the spread of the disease couldn't be ruled out as being the after effects of the death of the cattle due to the floods which occurred in the region in the past few months. As a precautionary measure to prevent the disease from spreading further, the district administration has conducted an exclusive blood check-up camp here in Upanni for the local public.


The district administration has undertaken several precautionary measures including fogging, in the whole affected area. In this regard, government hospitals have been given speciall instructions, while the doctors in the hospital are very active.

Dr. Rajesh Kanni, who has been exclusively appointed as medical officer in the Upanni village, said that total of 249 people have undergone blood checkup on the day and the reports have been sent to Sharda Hospital, according to the instructions of the district administration.

In Upanni, Dr. Shabbeer has also been seen very active in providing medical aids and sending the patients to the hospital.

The delegation of Tanzeem met the parents of the deceased children and presented their condolences to the families. On this occasion, Mr. Qalandar Basha, the president of Upanni Jamat and Mr. Mahmood Valki, reporter of SahilOnline for the Honnavar taluk were also present.

The district administration has undertaken several precautionary measures including fogging, in the whole affected area. In this regard, government hospitals have been given speciall instructions, while the doctors in the hospital are very active.

The parents of the deceased children said that the initially, the children suffered from fever but were partially recovered after medication. On the next day, the fever suddenly got intensified. So, they were admitted to Honnavar Hospital where they were provided with injections and other medications. On third day, the fever was so high that there was intense dehydration. Half an hour before death, on of the children suffered bleeding from the ears, while the other two had blood in their urine.

The pediatrician of the Honnavar government hospital expressed his view that the children would have been possibly died of viral infections.

Dr. Abdur Rasheed advised the immediate hospitalization of such type of cases. He said that this type of fever doesn't come down quickly, but it takes four to five days for the recovery.

But the people prefer to change the hospital if there is no immediate improvement which can cause more trouble to the patients. Dr. Abdur Rasheed also presented the villagers with many useful instructions and insisted them to drink only boiled water.

At present, the patients are out of danger, but the villagers seem to be very much tensed because of the disease.

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