A 'mysterious' fever has claimed 16 lives in Gujarat, seven villages which fall under the Lakhpat and Abdasa talukas. The state government, in response, has deployed special teams of doctors and more than 50 medical staff in the affected districts.
Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel and Education Minister Praful Pansheriya visited health centres in Kutch on Wednesday, and met the patients admitted there. Health Minister conducted a surveillance and assessment in wake of 'Mysterious' fever cases reported here that has claimed 16 lives so far.
Rushikesh Patel said, "16 deaths after fever have been reported in 7 villages of Lakhpat and Abdasa of Kutch. So, the Health Department of the entire state is in action...Several vector-borne diseases occur during monsoon. Principal Secretary and an entire team of BJP is here to assess the actual cause of death. Surveillance is being done here..."
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Patel said that between September 3 to and 10, 48 new cases of fever had been identified in the region. He said the government has already prepared 100 beds, 30 ventilators machined and BiPAP machines at Adani G K General Hospital to handle emergencies.
It is suspected that this fever which is famous among people is known as 'Mystery Fever' has spread suspected to be linked to recent floods in the state and other districts. Some symptoms are the same disease, like pneumonitis, prompting the Rapid Response Team (RRT) to conduct detailed investigations to uncover the illness's origin.
However, the Animal Husbandry Department has dismissed the report of zoonotic diseases as a cause. Samples from the patents have been sent to the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) in Gandhinagar and the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for further investigation to find the fever's exact cause.