Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Karimnagar hospitals flooded with mystery fever cases

By Our Staff Reporter

KARIMNAGAR JUNE 27. The mysterious viral fever has claimed 13 children in the Government Headquarters Hospital in Karimnagar and several other deaths have also been reported from interior villages of the district during this month.

Besides, several other children below five years age were hospitalised in the Government hospital and two cases have been referred to the Hyderabad Niloufer Hospital. Several children living in Mahadevpur, Kataram, Huzurabad, Elkathurthy mandals have been shifted to the Warangal MGM Hospital.

At the Government Headquarters Hospital, the children's ward is filled with patients and the hospital authorities were treating two children in one bed. Though, the viral fever is contagious the hospital authorities have failed to provide adequate beds. The hospital is also ill-equipped to diagnose the disease and is short of paediatricians.

The Government hospital civil surgeon (Paediatrics), K. Anantha Rao, said the hospital was being flooded with children suffering from the fever. Parents have bought children suffering from high fever, vomiting, convulsions and sometimes even headache and chills. Incidentally, the children were dying within one day after admitting into hospital, he added.

He said till date 13 children had succumbed to the viral fever and two other cases were referred to the Niloufer Hospital and three cases were recovering. The cases were reported from entire district and one death which took place in Karimnagar hospital was from Adilabad district. He said that they were suspecting the `Enteroencephalitis' (airborne viral infection) as the cause of death for the children. However, he said the District Medical and Health Department had collected blood samples of the children and sent to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi, on June 19 and was awaiting reports.

Private nursing homes here were also flooded with mysterious viral fever cases. The Andhra Pradesh Private Nursing Homes and Hospitals Association (APNA) district president and paediatrician, E. Vijayender Reddy, told The Hindu that at an average private children's nursing homes were treating three to four viral fever cases. He said they were treating children suffering from high fever, convulsions and vomiting, but no death was reported from private hospitals.

Meanwhile, the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Ch Vidyasagar Rao, who was here on Thursday in on a private visit, rushed to the hospital after knowing about the information about the children suffering from viral fever. The Union Minister was shocked to see the children living in untidy atmosphere in the hospital without any beds for the patients. Expressing concern over the poor state of affairs in the hospital, he expressed his ire against the DM&HO, Kesava Rao, on telephone and instructed him to arrange for beds.

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