High fever has claimed over 50 lives in the Rohilkhand area of the state in the last fortnight, striking fear among residents of Bareilly, Budaun and Shahjahanpur.
Voluntary organisations working in the region, however, put the death toll at over 150.
People from the affected villages have started fleeing the area as the administration continues to grapple to bring the situation under control.
UP’s Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh said the ailment was identified as malaria and viral fever. “We have sent malaria identification kits to the affected villages. Fogging is being carried out in villages to kill mosquitoes and doctors have been asked to camp in villages and treat the patients,” he said.
In some cases, the fever was due to viral infection, which is common during monsoon. “This year the situation has aggravated due to the heavy rainfall the state has received. Stagnant water is the breeding ground for mosquitoes and this has led to the outbreak,” Singh said.
The minister, who visited the affected Bareilly district, said that there was lack of co-ordination among health officials and this allowed the situation to spiral out of hand.
Subsequently, district malaria officer of Bareilly was suspended for dereliction of duty.
Chief medical officer of Bareilly, Dr Vineet Shukla, said that patients suffering from high fever and bouts of shivering were coming to the district hospital on a regular basis.
“We do not have enough beds to admit them. Still we are managing anyhow,” he said.
Dr Shukla claimed that over 1,500 patients of all age running high fever had been admitted to the hospital since August 30.
“We are getting over 100 cases every day from nearby areas as the disease is spreading fast in the rural areas,” he said.
Director General (Medical and Health) Dr Padmakar Singh said that around 50 people had died of high fever in the Rohilkhand region in the last 15 days.
“Camps are being organised at villages and malaria kits are being supplied. Wherever deaths have been reported, fogging is being carried out,” he said.
However, non-governmental organisations working in the region put the death toll above 150.
Mehtab Alam of Raza Hussain Memorial Charitable Society said that local inputs suggested that over 150 deaths had been reported in the last fortnight.
“The government is talking only about people who died in the district hospital. What about those who died in private hospitals or in villages for want of medical help? There are many houses where three to four members have died within a week,” he said.
And Alam is not off the mark. Ram Avtar of Badi Nagla village in Bareilly lost his 19-year-old daughter to high fever on September 5. Two days later, his son, Sonu, also died and on Tuesday, his second daughter Renu (17) fainted and died in hospital.
“You can find patients in every village. Not only that, every household has 2-3 members suffering from mild to high fever. They get initial treatment from quacks but once the condition deteriorates, they are rushed to government hospital. But by that time, it is too late,” Alam said.