Mysterious disease’ hits Manipur

[beast]

Newmai News Network January 07, 2009 11:02:00
Imphal : At least twenty-seven persons have been reportedly infected and hospitalized with a “mysterious disease” in Churachandpur district of Manipur during the past three days. Interestingly even as the dreaded avian influenza continues to stalk neighboring Assam state, the Churachandpur patients reportedly show headache, fever, coughing and shivering. Besides, deaths of fowls have been reported in Misao Lhavom village, in the district.  According to reports reaching here, villagers of Misao Lhavom village, about 7 km from Churachandpur district headquarters, were infected following an ‘outbreak’ of an unknown ‘disease’. The ‘disease’ has left at least 27 ill, including an infant, and are currently undergoing treatment at the Churachandpur district hospital, a reliable source said. The source also revealed that mysterious deaths of fowls were reported from the village.
According to sources from the Churachandpur district hospital, the first case was reported on Sunday, January 4 when a 15 year girl from the village was brought for treatment. The number increased to 16 on Monday, while another 10 cases was reported Tuesday, the source said. All the cases were similar, the source added.
According to the chief medical officer (CMO) of the hospital, S Haojel, noting the high possibility of malaria in the area, they have tested blood samples of the patients. However, the results were negative, stated the CMO and informed that the symptoms of the ‘unknown disease’ include headache, fever, cough and shivering. The CMO further informed that all the 27 patients have been kept separately at the female health workers’ hostel which is currently lying vacant. To take care of the 27 patients, nurses from other health sub-centers of the district have been deployed.       
Meanwhile, reliable sources informed that following the reports of the death of fowls in the Misao Lhavom village, a veterinary team has been dispatched on Tuesday evening to verify the  cause.
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[beast]

Bird flu alarm in Manipur


Imphal, Jan. 6: A team of veterinary experts rushed to Churachandpur district this afternoon following reports of an outbreak of suspected bird flu at Misao Lahvom, a tribal village.

The villagers reported that nearly 70 birds had died and more than 20 villagers fallen sick because of an “unknown disease”.

However, there have been no human deaths. “We received information about the death of chickens and villagers suffering from fever and headache. We are going there to verify the reports and make an on-the-spot assessment,” said the animal disease specialist of the veterinary department, Gopal Singh, before leaving here for the village.

The team carried masks and medicines for bird flu, but department officials said there was no reason to be panicky, as the villagers could be suffering from some other disease like fever or malaria.

The team will collect blood samples of affected villagers and carcasses of fowl and samples of any poultry found sick.

“We cannot say anything without testing the birds and blood samples,” Gopal Singh said.

The samples will be sent to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal and National Institute of Virology, Pune.

Official sources said 20 villagers have been brought to the government hospital at the district headquarters since Sunday.

Several other affected persons are still in the village, located nearly 8km from the district headquarters in the south.

“First, an 18-year-old girl, Nemneilam, fell sick on Sunday. Several neighbours visited her the same night. Within hours, those who visited her fell sick with the same symptoms — fever, headache and loss of consciousness,” Lungthung, a villager, said.

He also claimed that nearly 70 chickens had died in the past week.

The chief medical officer of the district, Singkhojan, visited the village today and collected 130 blood samples from the villagers.

Deputy commissioner Sumant Singh visited the district hospital this afternoon to inspect the patients. He reportedly sent an SOS to the health directorate for a medical team.

A team from Imphal is likely to arrive tomorrow.

The Zomi Economic Planning and Development Agency, an NGO based in the district, today wrote to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi, informing it of the suspected bird flu in the village and urged the institute to immediately intervene.

Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090107/jsp/northeast/story_10351166.jsp

[beast]

The above description of 27 hospitalized patients in Manipur is cause for concern.  The Miaso Lhavom village is about 80 miles south of confirmed H5N1 in Assam, about 50 miles from the Bangladesh border, and 100 miles from excess poultry deaths in Manipur (see updated map).  Moreover, birds in the village are dying.  There are also reports of buffalo deaths in Nungba, about 25 miles northwest of the village.

The large number of hospitalized cases in three days is without precedent for avian influenza, but large clusters of unconfirmed cases, especially in Indonesia, remain suspect since most testing is done after Tamiflu treatment has begun.

More information on testing of the poultry, as well as an influenza A rapid test on throat swabs from the hospitalized patients, would be useful.


Source: http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01060904/Manipur_Mystery_27.html