Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Mystery skin disease in Warangal village

By Our Staff Reporter

NEKKONDA (WARANGAL, DT.), JUNE 26. A mysterious diseases has been haunting the people of Panikara village of Nekkonda mandal for the past 10 days. When the villagers affected by the unknown skin disease made a beeline to the Primary Health Centre at Nekkonda, 3 km from the village, there was none to answer.

Despite repeated representations by the people, the district administration failed to respond until a TRS leader brought the matter to the notice of local dailies. After three days, a team of health workers visited the village on Wednesday and went door to door to take details. On Thursday, two doctors and health workers camped at the village.

They distributed Avil tablets, Sophramycin ointment, iron and multi-vitamin tablets, much to the disappointment of villagers. For the past 10 days, many people in the village, mostly children, had developed itching, which turned into rashes and then lesions. The whole body was affected.

Speaking to The Hindu, a youth, E Srinivasa Reddy, said the doctors neither conducted blood test or urine, but they routinely distributed tablets. Several people alleged indifferent attitude on the part of the officials. According to them, the doctors hardly visited the village, while the doctor never turned up.

The doctors were not available at the mandal headquarters too, they alleged. While the villagers attribute the disease to an unknown worm, the officials contended that it was natural during the rainy season due to contamination of water. A team of officials on Thursday collected water samples from the open well for chemical tests.

Chinthala Yakaiah, who was suffering from the skin disease, said though he had been taking the tablets given to him on Wednesday, he did not fiund them useful. Six-year-old Rohini who developed rashes all over the body was developing fever during nights. According to the official records, as many 128 persons registered for treatment.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Cong. rule marked by lack of progress: Naidu
• MLA's bail plea rejected
• DWCRA members ignore PW diktat
• Mystery skin disease in Warangal village
• Call for effective traffic management
• Meet on ID cards, voters' list today
• Focus on water problem at civic body meet
• Civic body too to seek TTD funds
• Chevella incident draws flak
• `Hospitals need health administrators'

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu