10 kids die of unknown disease in Udhampur
JAMMU: After 10 children died of an unknown disease within a span of 15 days in Ramnagar tehsil of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir, a highlevel team of experts from the health ministry in Delhi will reach the affected villages on Sunday to explore the cause and remedies.
Six other children have been taken ill due to the mysterious disease. Chief medical officer of Udhamur district, KC Dogra, said, “10 children between the age group of two months and six years have died in the past over a fortnight and six others have been taken ill.”
Dogra informed that the disease has not been diagnosed as yet and a high-level team of experts will reach Udhampur on Sunday to explore the cause and suggest remedies.
“Out of six children, four have been hospitalised in PGI Chandigarh, one each in Ludhiana and SMGS Hospital in Jammu. It is a matter of serious concern for us. We have issued an advisory to the people asking them not to panic and rush their children in the wake of any symptoms to qualified paediatricians in hospitals,” he said.
The children contracting the disease develop symptoms of fever, cold and vomiting, eventually leading to renal failure.
“There are around 10 to 15 villages within a radius of 30 kilometres in Ramnagar tehsil where the children are getting ill due to this undiagnosed disease,” he added.
He informed that various teams of doctors were camping in the affected area to ascertain the cause of the disease.
“Even the doctors at PGI Chandigarh, who conducted the autopsy of one such child from Ramnagar, have not been able to reach any conclusion yet. We have lifted samples of water, drugs given to the children by local quacks and food etc. Teams of doctors from Jammu and Udhampur are camping in the affected area and we are trying to ascertain the cause of the disease,” Dogra said.
Piyush Singla, district development commissioner, Udhampur, had already directed the public health engineering department to collect samples of drinking water for laboratory testing and ensure safe drinking water for the public.