Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 08 2009:
STATE AUTHORITY is yet to confirm the mysterious disease that spread among the villagers of Churachandpur district today.
Sudden death of 17 chickens and subsequent hospitalisation of 32 villagers mostly women with a mysterious illness since Sunday had once evoked a bird flu scare in the district particularly in the affected Misao Lhahvom village,72 kms south of state capital.
Though experts confirmed that there's no bird flu,they're still collecting blood samples of the hospitalized villagers to verify the disease.
Close on the heels of Additional Director of the state health services Dr Th Bhubolchandra's visit to hill district headquarters on Wednesday, a team headed by State Program Officer Nimaichand from state vector borne diseases came down to Churachandpur town today.
"They collected the blood samples of the patients besides visiting the village today" a villager said.
According to an employee of Churachandpur district hospital, most of the patients admitted there complained of high fever followed by unconsciousness.
Presently 28 patients mostly women were given treatment at the hospital after 10 of them were discharged, he added.
Locals believe that the cause of the disease might be related with food poisoning of the recent Christmas celebration.
However Dr Motilal, Director of state health services said it was viral
fever.
Meanwhile due to outbreak of another unknown disease/epidemic hundreds of cattles or livestocks including cows, bulls, buffaloes and their calves have been reportedly dying over the last three weeks at Nungba area in Manipur's Tamenglong district.G Poukhuilung,president of Nungba Area Village Authority Association in a memorandum to the Minister of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry sought government's help.Responding to his memorandum,a team of state veterinary doctors have also rushed to the hill district along the necessary medicines.
However there's no report of confirming the details of the disease that hit the remote hill villages till the filing of this report.