CHANDIGARH: Four children of a family have died after mysteriously falling ill in Tauru block of Haryana’s Nuh district, in the national capital region, leading to panic among residents here. Sources said that the children, aged between 4 to 7 years, residents of Dhani area of Chahalka village, started falling ill since October 19 and were admitted to different hospitals where they succumbed to the ailment one by one.
On October 19, 4-year old Adnan started vomiting uncontrollably and fell unconscious. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital and eventually referred to Bhiwadi. But he died within 24 hours. When the family returned home with his body, his 7-year-old sister too started showing similar symptoms. She was rushed to Nalhar Medical College at Nuh where she died within hours.
The family had barely performed last rights of the two children when their cousins Nazish and Danish, both aged 4, began having similar symptoms. They were taken to Alwar and Faridabad medical colleges where they breathed their last. A total of interrelated 17 families live the village, who are terrified after the development.
Sources said that it is suspected that the children contracted encephalitis but the state health department has not been able to confirm the same as they could not retrieve their spinal fluid. Now, ten teams of the health department have been deputed in the area which has been put under alert. A fever survey and immunization drive has also been launched here.
Nuh chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Rajeev Kumar said that they were reviewing all children in the area for any similar symptoms. “If we had got access to spinal fluid, we could have confirmed what caused the death. We suspect encephalitis which is non-communicable. The deceased children were all immunized.
Monitoring children for similar symptoms: CMO
A fever survey and immunization drive has been launched. Nuh chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Rajeev Kumar said that they were reviewing all children in the area for any similar symptoms. “If we had got access to spinal fluid, we could have confirmed what caused the death.