The latest death was reported on Wednesday, nearly three weeks after the first cases of the illness emerged in the village. Five children have died of an unidentified or mystery fever in Gadhakasda village on the banks of the Yamuna in Etawah’s Bhareh area, while more than 20 people are still ill, officials said.
The deaths have left families worried as fresh cases continue to emerge and doctors have not yet been able to establish the cause of the fever. The district administration has sent specialist teams to the village to determine what is causing the illness. Medical camps have been set up in the village, where residents are being examined and provided medicines. The panchayati raj department has deployed workers to carry out cleanliness-related work, while health teams remain on the ground. He appealed to residents not to delay treatment or ignore symptoms.
Two patients have been admitted to the district hospital and two others are being treated at Saifai medical university, officials said, adding that they were also monitoring sanitation in the village. District magistrate Shubhrant Kumar Shukla said medical teams from the district headquarters and Saifai medical university had been directed to camp in the village and ensure treatment of those affected.
Prof Dheeraj Srivastava from the department of community medicine and associate professor Dushyant Rastogi from paediatrics visited the homes of the children who died and those currently ill. They spoke to their families and documented their symptoms and medical history. District malaria officer SN Singh was also part of the team.
