Haryana: ‘Mystery fever’ claims lives of 9 kids in Palwal village

CHILLI, PALWAL: A ‘mystery fever’ has claimed the lives of nine children in the past 12 days in Chilli, a small village in Palwal’s Hathin. At least 44 other people, 35 of whom are minors, have reported fever-like symptoms and are admitted to private hospitals.
While health officials maintain the cause of death is yet unclear, they have not ruled out the possibility of dengue as fever and a low platelet count have been witnessed in most of the cases.
The first case was reported on August 30, when six-year-old Saqib complained of fever and body ache.
His father Salauddin (40) initially dismissed his complaint as he thought it was caused by the change in weather. As the day progressed though, the boy’s eyes and arms swelled.
“I took my son to Dr Ilyas, who referred him to Nalhad hospital in Nuh. He died on September 1,” said Salauddin.
Nearly a week ago, eight-year-old Farhan developed similar symptoms. “He had swollen eyes and feet and died within two days,” his father Mohammad Nasheem said. Similarly, another eight-year-old, Aqsa, lost her life at a private hospital in Sohna.
“I don’t know how it happened. She complained of fever and body ache on Sunday around 3pm and on Monday morning, she was gone,” her father Sabir told TOI in a choked voice after her body arrived in the village.
Chilli is home to 3,000-odd people and a spot visit revealed roads clogged with dirty water and sludge. The entire village is filled with a foul, decaying odour.
The health department said there is no proper drainage in place and the supply of dirty water for drinking could be one of the reasons for the viral infections.
“The sanitation in the village is very poor. The drains are nearly full, the water is contaminated and the sewage lines are damaged. There is a likelihood that mosquitoes are breeding. We have distributed nets and sprayed chemicals. A fogging team is also at work,” said Palwal chief civil surgeon Brahmdeep Singh.
Dr Amit Kumar, who is among the five health department officials inspecting the village, said, “Samples for malaria, Covid and dengue have been collected. We are trying to find the reason behind the fever. There’s a chance it may be dengue, but we will need to wait for the reports.”
To learn the cause of the disease, several villagers have been queuing up at the ‘panchayat ghar’, where visiting health officials have guided them on sanitary ways.
Simultaneously, a Covid vaccination session has been going on in the village. But, officials said, there is a lot of hesitancy among villagers.
“No one gets vaccinated. They run to the farms and hide and don’t come out until the health officials go away,” said sarpanch Naresh.