YOU THOUGHT H1N1 IS A KILLER VIRUS, INDIA OFFERS WORSE

STUNG TO DEATH IN BIHAR

In 1 month,brain fever malaria kills 30 in Munger (Bihar). Recent news is stipulating already 60 deaths

WHAT IS IT? A form of malaria, it affects brain and may prove fatal in 24-72 hours Symptoms | Impaired consciousness, confusion, and drowsiness Cause | Mosquito bite Affected area |

Munger: Five children succumbed to cerebral malaria in Munger in the last 48 hours taking the death toll to 30 since the outbreak of the disease in the first week of July.
The deadly brain fever is caused by a mosquito bite and is fatal if not treated in time. It has so far affected 1,500 people, said B Sahu, Munger malaria officer. ‘‘Out of serum samples of more than 1,450 people tested in laboratories, 565 were positive,’’ he told a news agency.
As the situation is turning grim, a team of eight doctors from New Delhi-based National Vector-borne Disease Control Programme reached Munger on Thursday night. Their job is to establish the cause of cerebral malaria that has spread to 92 villages in Haveli Kharagpur sub-division of Munger.
‘‘The central team, which arrived on Thursday evening, has fanned out in affected areas in four batches with technicians,’’ Bihar health department’s joint director-cum-programme officer R N Pandey said at Munger Sadar Hospital.
So far, there is no word from the expert-team headed by joint director, central health services, S N Sharma on the nature of the disease. The team will submit a report to the Centre after its tour of the affected areas.
Twenty people are being treated at Haveli Kharagpur primary health centre and three at Munger Sadar Hospital. Officials said there is sufficient stock of medicines and DDT fumigation has been completed in 72 villages.
‘‘The situation is under control,’’ Pandey said. ‘‘The death toll hasn’t gone beyond six,’’ Munger civil surgeon Sreekrishna Chandra Singh added.





Kashi Prasad | TNN