VILLUPURAM:Panic gripped 100 families in Amman Nagar village after a four-year-old boy died of a mystery fever on Friday (Incidentally, his father Boopathy Raja died of the same illness last week), while 11 other villagers were admitted to the JIPMER Hospital in Puducherry and the Government Mundiyambakkam Hospital for intensive treatment for a similar fever.
Boopathy’s only son Moulidharan, a lower kindergarten student of a private school, was admitted to the Government Kallakurichi Hospital with fever about 10 days ago.
Hospital sources told Express that some villagers saw blood coming out of Moulidharan’s nose and ears as was the case with his father.
Since the man’s death, more villagers fell ill and over 30 of them, including women and children, were admitted to the Government Kallakurichi Hospital.
Sensing something amiss, villagers urged the hospitals authorities to refer them to other hospitals in Chennai and Puducherry for intensive treatment. As the authorities refused, some of the villagers admitted themselves to various hospitals in Chennai and Puducherry.
Seenu (30), a resident, said, “About a month ago, over 10 villagers developed fever, severe body pain, cold and nausea owing to a suspected mosquito attack. After numerous petitions, Revenue and medical officials from Kallakurichi held a three-day medical camp in the village about two weeks ago. The officials admitted the affected villagers to the Government Kallakurichi Hospital.”
Left with no choice, medical officers at the Kallakurichi GH referred nine of the affected villagers to JIPMER hospital in Puducherry and two others to the Government Mundiyambakkam Hospital.
When Express contacted Govindhan, Kallakurichi Deputy Director of Health, he denied the villagers’ statement that blood was coming out of the nose and ears of the deceased. He said the father-son had died of severe viral fever and that steps were being taken in the village to stop the fever from spreading further.
Govindhanbsaid some of the villagers have been referred to Government Mundiyambakkam Hospital and JIPMER for observation and added that the situation was under control.