Teams of doctors have been sent in to look at the reason, which is thought to be non-communicable despite showing signs of pneumonia, fever, and dyspnoea.
Twelve people, including four children under the age of twelve, died in Gujarat’s Kutch district’s Lakhpat taluka, days after the area was severely battered by torrential rains. According to officials on Sunday, pneumonitis appears to be the primary cause of death.
However, several members of the district panchayat in the area said that despite the fever being creating respiratory difficulties, doctors had not been able to adequately diagnose the condition.
According to Kutch Collector Amit Arora, medical services in the taluka, which is close to the Pakistani border, have been stepped up with the deployment of 22 surveillance teams, doctors, and the collection of samples from locals to rule out the possibility of H1N1, swine flu, malaria, dengue, and Crimean-Congo fever.
Pneumonia appears to have been the primary cause of death in these cases. It does not seem to be a contagious disease or the result of pollution. Twenty-two health department teams, including fast response teams from Rajkot PDU Medical College and those sent on deputation from two community health centres, are operating in the affected districts,” he added.
In a letter to Gujarat Congress head Shaktisinh Gohil, Kutch district panchayat member Meenaba Jadeja reported that 12 people in the 5–50 age group had died between September 3 and September 9 from fever in the villages of Bekhada, Sanandro, Morgar, and Bharavandh in the Lakhpat taluka.
“Individuals with fever were previously admitted to a private hospital located in Vermanagar town, Lakhpat taluka. After that, they were brought to Dayapar CHC and subsequently Bhuj General Hospital. They moved one patient to Ahmedabad”. Hussain Rayma, a former member of the Lakhpat panchayat, claimed, “They died without recovering from the fever.”
Residents said that patients had a fever, cold, cough, pneumonia, and breathing difficulties. Mamd Jung Jat, a district panchayat member, stated that doctors were unable to accurately diagnose the illness.
