India / 39, including 32 kids, die of 'mysterious' fever in UP's Firozabad in past week

Lucknow: At least 32 children and seven adults died of a “mysterious fever” in the Uttar Pradesh district of Firozabad in the past week, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday, meeting some of the patients and their families.

The chief minister said at least eight to nine localities in the district were hit by the mystery dengue-like viral fever.

“A separate ward has been created for this suspicious fever in Firozabad and the dedicated Covid-19 ward has been reserved as separate ward. There have been three deaths at Medical College. In all, 32 children and seven adults have died because of the suspicious fever,” Adityanath said.

The state government denied reports that the 39 people died due to dengue and the chief minister said the deaths will be probed by a team from King George’s Medical University in Lucknow and a government surveillance team.

“Due to lack of awareness at the local level, the patients were taken to private hospitals and clinics. After learning about the fever, the health department and administration appraised authorities of the situation at the state level,” the chief minister told reporters.

Adityanath visited ailing children at the district hospital and reviewed arrangements to ensure proper treatment.

The chief minister told reporters that the first case was detected on August 18 and family members of patients started their treatment in private hospitals and clinics.

“As the district administration came to know about the fever, a paediatric isolation ward was set up... where the death of three children was reported in the past two days. Two out of the three children were brought dead,” he said.

Adityanath said samples of some patients should be sent to the King George’s Medical University in Lucknow and the National Institute of Virology in Pune. He also visited Sudama Nagar from where many cases were reported.

Locals accused the health department and municipal body of overlooking issues pertaining to sanitation, and alleged that several drains were overflowing in the district.

On Sunday, BJP’s Firozabad MLA Manish Asija had claimed that over 40 children died due to dengue in the district over the past week and blamed the state health department and the local civic body for the “tragedy”. “More than 40 children have died in Firozabad due to dengue since August 22-23. This morning, I received the sad news of (the death of) six children,” Asija tweeted, adding, “Most of these children were in the 4-15 age group.”

State health minister Jai Pratap Singh, however, told news agency PTI, “The news is wrong. There is no such report (about dengue deaths).”

The Congress expressed concern over the deaths. “The state government should take immediate measures to upgrade health services so that such diseases may be checked,” party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted.