MYSTERY DISEASE KILLS 19 INDIAN INFANTS

Reuters ^ | 07 June 2003

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

CALCUTTA, India (Reuters) - A mysterious disease in eastern India has killed 19 children aged five and below and affected at least 100 others, officials say. The disease, which has struck eight remote villages in West Bengal state over a period of nine days, results in high fever, respiratory distress and convulsions, district officials said.

"I cannot say now whether the toll will remain at 19," Murshidabad District Magistrate Manoj Pant told Reuters by phone on Saturday. "Medical teams and specialists are at the affected areas and are taking blood samples of the sick children and examining them to get a better idea of the disease." He said the toll included the deaths of ten children which officials had reported late on Friday.

Residents said there was panic among parents --- mostly poor peasants --- and many were gathered around hospitals where their children were admitted.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Anyone have any contacts who can provide more info on this?

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2003 21:02:24 +0530
From: Satadal Das

Mystery disease kills 30 children
----------------------
30 children have died of an undiagnosed disease at Kurdgachi,
Kuchidanga, Kadamtala, Janardanpur, Gabaparda, Balagachi, and
Natundiyara villages in Nasipore area of Lalgola, Murshidabad
district, West Bengal, India, over the last 10 days. Their ages are
between 8 months to 6 years.
About 100 children have been affected by the disease, whose symptoms
include high fever, breathlessness, convulsion, increased salivation,
followed by stiffening of jaws within 5-6 hours of the onset of the
disease and death.
--
Satadal Das, MD, DCP Consultant Microbiologist & Infection Control Officer
Peerless Hospital & B. K. Roy Research Centre
Kolkata, India


[While the description of a high fever leads to thinking about
possible infectious agents that might be responsible for this
clinical picture, the remainder of the description is less likely to
be an infectious agent. The mention that the course of the illness
is rapid, with duration of time from onset of symptoms to death at
approximately 5-6 hours is suggestive of a possible toxic exposure.
As the age group involved is young children, one wonders about a
possible contamination of milk supplement, perhaps a powdered milk substitute that may be used. More information on possible exposures
or other epidemiologic features of this outbreak would be appreciated. - Mods.TG/MPP]

PROMED LINK

[FairOpinion]

Here is another article, maybe in a few days they will have more info. From the symptoms described in Promed, it doesn't sound to me like heatsroke, which is what they are guessing in this article.

http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6553232%255E401,00.html


Children killed by mystery illness
From correspondents in Calcutta
06jun03
AT least 15 children below the age of five have died and more than 100 have been taken ill in a "mysterious disease" outbreak in India.

The Director of West Bengal health services, Prabhakar Chatterjee, said the disease had affected more than 100 children below the age of five in three villages - Kuchina, Kaddamtala and Natundiya - in Murshidabad district, about 320kms north of state capital Calcutta.

"We are yet to get the details. At least 15 children have so far died during the past five days," he said.

"Over 100 are admitted to the local health centre.

"The disease might have been caused by the excessive heat sweeping the district for over a fortnight."
Chatterjee said a special medical team had already been sent to the district and another would be sent tomorrow to find out the cause of the illness.

"Blood samples of the affected children have been taken and sent to the laboratory for tests.

"We hope the nature of the disease might be known in a day or two."

A heatwave has swept most of India in the past fortnight, killing nearly 1350 people.

About 90 per cent of the deaths have taken place in southern Andhra Pradesh state.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Thanks for the info...something to watch.