Four samples test positive for typhoid

LUCKNOW: Four samples from Amwa Murtazapur village in Nagram, where five sudden deaths were reported between June 5 and 13, tested positive for typhoid .

The health department had started a special drive for screening of all ill villagers. In all, 11 samples were collected on Sunday of which 4 tested positive for typhoid. But this, the doctors said, could not be the reason for death of five villagers.

Sujan Babu, 13 and Soni, 2 months, died on June 5, Deepanshu, 4, died on June 12, Islam, 30 and Reshma, 18 months, died on June 13.

“In four samples typhoid is confirmed while results of 7 more are awaited,” said additional chief medical officer Dr RB Singh, who went to collect samples with a team of doctors.

Dr PK Gupta, former president of the Indian Medical Association, Lucknow ruled out the possibility of deaths by typhoid. “Typhoid cannot be linked with sudden deaths as happened in this village. Typhoid is not usually fatal .”

Report on the samples taken by the team from King George’s Medical University is expected on Tuesday. “It will make picture clear,” said Dr Gupta.

Apart from ensuring health facilities at the community health centre, the health department has also made temporary arrangement at a primary school for treatment of villagers.

A team of doctors from KGMU visited the village on Sunday to study possible reasons for the mysterious deaths here recently.

The team, led by Prof SN Sankhwar, the chief medical superintendent of the KGMU, studied the pattern of health problems and the deaths and took samples from villagers, particularly those whose family members died recently.

Earlier, the health department had preserved viscera and blood samples after postmortem examination but could not reveal the cause of the deaths .

“We have requested the forensic lab to conduct the tests on priority so that the cause of death is clear,” said chief medical officer of Lucknow, Dr Narendra Agrawal.