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Re: Orissa - Mystery disease: kills eight in two days
Situation Update No. 1
On 30.10.2009 at 19:16 GMT+2
It was not botulism or food-poisoning which killed the dozen villagers in Kandhamal?s Gudrigaon last month. A deadly virus called Chandipura which had swept across Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra in the past with an alarming fatality rate is the killer. Between September 17-25, at least 11 deaths were reported at Gudrigaon, close to Daringibadi, even as Health administration found it hard to ascertain the reason attributing botulism (a bacterial infection caused by toxic food) to be the main cause. Eight of the victims were children below 10 years. A team from Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) which carried out field investigation collected blood and serum samples of family contacts and other acquaintances who had developed symptoms of motor weakness, vomiting and convulsion followed by spells of unconsciousness and neurological problems with the help of Health Department officials.
Since similar sporadic cases were reported from Malkangiri in early October, samples were collected from the affected persons there. The samples, sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, were subjected to specific ELISA test. Of the total 30 samples, four tested positive for Chandipura virus encephalitis. Of the 21 collected from Gudrigaon, three were positive pointing out what claimed the lives in Kandhamal. The virus spreads fast but it was not known how it transmitted. "Clinically, it is after four days of the onset of symptoms that antibody is developed in patients. Since a number of serum samples were collected in the first three to four days, not all cases would come positive,?? Dr SK Kar, Director of RMRC said. Chandipura virus, first reported from a village in Nagpur in 1965, owes its clinical name to the place. In 2003, when an outbreak of acute encephalitis took place in Andhra Pradesh, 329 children were affected out of which 183 died. Similarly, 115 casualties were reported from Vidarbha and Marathwada regions during the same period. In 20 per cent cases, the Chandipura virus was found present.
In most cases, children were victims with 80 per cent deaths occurring in 24 hours of hospitalisation. Kar said, complete information on source and the vector has not been found yet. The situation, however, could pose a challenge since the virus has been spotted in Malkangiri and Koraput.
Situation Update No. 1
On 30.10.2009 at 19:16 GMT+2
It was not botulism or food-poisoning which killed the dozen villagers in Kandhamal?s Gudrigaon last month. A deadly virus called Chandipura which had swept across Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra in the past with an alarming fatality rate is the killer. Between September 17-25, at least 11 deaths were reported at Gudrigaon, close to Daringibadi, even as Health administration found it hard to ascertain the reason attributing botulism (a bacterial infection caused by toxic food) to be the main cause. Eight of the victims were children below 10 years. A team from Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) which carried out field investigation collected blood and serum samples of family contacts and other acquaintances who had developed symptoms of motor weakness, vomiting and convulsion followed by spells of unconsciousness and neurological problems with the help of Health Department officials.
Since similar sporadic cases were reported from Malkangiri in early October, samples were collected from the affected persons there. The samples, sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, were subjected to specific ELISA test. Of the total 30 samples, four tested positive for Chandipura virus encephalitis. Of the 21 collected from Gudrigaon, three were positive pointing out what claimed the lives in Kandhamal. The virus spreads fast but it was not known how it transmitted. "Clinically, it is after four days of the onset of symptoms that antibody is developed in patients. Since a number of serum samples were collected in the first three to four days, not all cases would come positive,?? Dr SK Kar, Director of RMRC said. Chandipura virus, first reported from a village in Nagpur in 1965, owes its clinical name to the place. In 2003, when an outbreak of acute encephalitis took place in Andhra Pradesh, 329 children were affected out of which 183 died. Similarly, 115 casualties were reported from Vidarbha and Marathwada regions during the same period. In 20 per cent cases, the Chandipura virus was found present.
In most cases, children were victims with 80 per cent deaths occurring in 24 hours of hospitalisation. Kar said, complete information on source and the vector has not been found yet. The situation, however, could pose a challenge since the virus has been spotted in Malkangiri and Koraput.
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