Twelve people, including four children, have died in Lakhpat taluka of Gujarat’s Kutch district following recent heavy rains. Officials reported on Sunday that pneumonitis is the primary suspected cause of these deaths. The four children who died are below the age of 12.
However, as per some local district panchayat members, doctors were unable to diagnose the fever accurately. The fever caused difficulty in breathing.
Residents reported symptoms including fever, cold, cough, pneumonia, and breathing difficulties. District panchayat member Mamd Jung Jat added that doctors had yet to make an accurate diagnosis of the illness.
Medical services in Lakhpat taluka, near the Pakistan border, have been ramped up. According to Kutch Collector Amit Arora, 22 surveillance teams and doctors have been deployed, and samples are being collected from residents to rule out H1N1, swine flu, Crimean-Congo fever, malaria, and dengue.
“Primarily, the deaths appear to have been caused by pneumonitis. It does not appear to be from contamination nor does it seem like a communicable disease. Twenty-two health department teams are working in the affected areas, including those brought on deputation from two community health centres as well as rapid response teams from Rajkot PDU medical college,” he added.
In a letter to Gujarat Congress chief Shaktisinh Gohil, Kutch district panchayat member Meenaba Jadeja reported that twelve individuals aged 5 to 50 died between September 3 and 9 due to fever in the villages of Bekhada, Sanandro, Morgar, and Bharavandh in Lakhpat taluka.
Former Lakhpat panchayat member Hussain Rayma stated that these patients were initially admitted to a private hospital in Vermanagar, then transferred to Dayapar CHC, and finally to Bhuj General Hospital, with one patient being moved to Ahmedabad. Despite these efforts, they did not recover.
(With PTI inputs)