Central team visits Ramnagar
JAMMU: A four-member high level medical team of experts from the health ministry on Monday visited the Ramnagar tehsil in Udhampur where 10 children died due to an unknown disease in the last fortnight.
The team was accompanied by director health services Jammu, Renu Sharma and chief medical officer Udhampur, KC Dogra.
The team, upon completion of their inspection, will submit a report to the directorate general of health services (DGHS), ministry of health and family welfare.
The team reached sub district hospital in Ramnagar in the morning and received a hostile reception from locals in form of a protest.The locals alleged shortage of doctors, paramedics and medicines not just in SDH
Ramnagar but also in the health centres in the periphery as well as in other remote villages of the area.The locals alleged that despite repeated assurance, no steps were taken to fill the shortfall.
Later, the team visited Martha village where maximum number of cases were reported in early December.
Director health services, Jammu, Renu Sharma said, “The team interacted with the hospital staff and also examined paediatric records. No new cases have been reported over the last four to five days.”
She added, “We have already taken samples of water and drugs given to the children by local quacks.”
The visiting team comprised of Dr Sumit Mehndiratta, specialist (paediatrics) Safdarjung Hospital; Dr Mahesh Waghmare, deputy director (microbiology), National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi; Dr Suneet
Kaur, assistant director( epidemiology) National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi. Dr Shilpa Tomar, microbiologist, NIV, Pune and Dr Avinash Deoshatwar, epidemiologist NIVPune reached late and will be visiting Martha on Tuesday morning.
Six other children have been taken ill due to the mysterious disease.
Chief medical officer of Udhampur district Dr KC Dogra said, “Ten children between the age group of two months to six years have died over the fortnight and six others have taken ill.”
“Of six children, four have been hospitalised in PGI Chandigarh, one each in Ludhiana and SMGS Hospital in Jammu,” he said.
The CMO said the children upon contracting the disease developed symptoms of fever, cold, they also vomit eventually leading to renal failure.