LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has removed the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and issued directives to district authorities concerned to ensure best medical attention and cleanliness in Firozabad. A special team of 11 doctors has been rushed to take control of the situation arisen due to suspected dengue and viral fever which has claimed over 50 lives so far within a span of 10 days.
Victims of the mysterious fever in Firozabad and adjoining districts like Mathura , Agra, Etah, Mainpuri, and Kasganj in western UP are majorly children. As the situation took an alarming turn, CM Yogi Adityanath had visited Firozabad on Sunday, to take stock of the situation.
According to local BJP MLA Manish Asija, over 40 children died so far and in most of the cases, the patient had developed fever and low platelet count. As per the health officials, the children, who fell ill, would be looked after by the team of expert doctors drawn from various places. Moreover, a team of experts from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also been pressed into service to test the samples of the patients.
So far, no traces of COVID-19 have been found in the patients of mystery fever admitted to different hospitals in the district. A special door-to-door drive is also being planned next week to find out persons suffering from viral fever, dengue, malaria or other ailments. The hospitals will also treat the patients free of cost as per government instructions.
However, the district officials are grappling to find the right cause and cure for the mystery fever with uncommon symptoms. According to Firozabad DM Chandra Vijay Singh, seven adults, all coming from lower strata of society, had also succumbed to the fever since the first case was reported on August 20. The doctors in Firozabad district hospital and other medical facilities are currently treating the disease as a viral fever with dengue-like symptoms. Those who get it report symptoms like fever, chills, body ache, headache, dehydration, rapid decline in platelet count and stomach ache.
As per the district authorities, many of the children who died due to illness had tested positive for dengue. The local health authorities also claimed that it being a dengue season, some children showed unusual symptoms along with fever, like inflammation of the liver and water retention in the abdomen.
The DMO said that besides the team from Lucknow, samples were also sent to Lucknow and the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for further investigation. According to newly appointed Chief Medical Superintendent of Firozabad Alok Kumar, 245 people were tested on August 30, 27 of whom had tested positive for dengue. Additional Chief Secretary , health, Amit Mohan Prasad claimed that Covid was ruled out since none of the children tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.