It has turned into a panic now as twelve people have been reported dead, including four children below the age of twelve, in Lakhpat taluka in the Kutch district of Gujarat due to heavy rains that hit the area. It was stated that the major cause of death seems to be pneumonitis, but few members of the local district panchayat apprehend that false positive fever detection leads to breathing problems.
Thus, considering the situation, healthcare facilities in the region, which are close to the border with Pakistan, have greatly increased. Countering the comments, Kutch Collector Amit Arora declared the formation of 22 teams of security and medical personnel, who are taking samples from the residents to rule out diseases including H1N1, swine flu, Crimean-Congo fever, malaria, and dengue.
‘Primarily the casualties seem to have died of pneumonitis’, Arora said, adding ‘there is no evidence to suggest contamination or communicable diseases’. He pointed out that health department teams are already present in the areas that have been affected, including employees of two community health centers and rapid response teams from Rajkot PDU Medical College.
Villagers stated that people of 5 to 50 years of age died due to fever in several villages such as Bekhada, Sanandro, Morgar, and Bharavandh from September 3 to September 9, Panchayat member Meenaba Jadeja added. People told the visit that patients experienced common symptoms such as fever, cold, cough, and difficulty breathing.
Hussain Rayma, a former member of the Lakhpat panchayat, recalled that after admission to a private hospital, the patients were shifted to Dayapar Community Health Center and then to Bhuj General Hospital, and some were shifted to Ahmedabad.
All of the above died without regaining their health due to the prevailing fever. Some people are still complaining that local doctors seldom give correct diagnoses, as pointed out by another district panchayat member, Mamd Jung Jat.
