'Mystery fever': 10 Dead in 15 days in Haridwar, Almora; samples sent for testing

BAGESHWAR/ROORKEE: The last fortnight has witnessed the outbreak of a 'mystery fever' in parts of Almora and Haridwar districts. In just a fortnight, seven people have died in Almora's Dhauladevi block, and three fatalities have been reported in Roorkee area of Haridwar.

Secretary of health department, R Rajesh Kumar, said that intensive monitoring of Dhauladevi is being conducted along with the scientific evaluation of deaths.

Notably, the patients reported a bout of high fever as well as a drop in platelets. Amid speculations that the deaths may have been caused by dengue, doctors in Almora said samples have been sent for testing and it would not be possible to comment till the results are out.In Dhauladevi block seven deaths were reported in the past 15 days. Residents fear a viral outbreak, while authorities have begun taking samples to identify the cause of the sudden fatalities. Chief medical officer Dr Naveen Chandra Tiwari said, "Out of the seven deaths, three appear to be related to viral infection. The rest seem to be due to age-related health complications. Teams from the health department are camping in the affected areas, taking samples and giving treatment.

Samples have been sent to Almora Medical College, and the exact cause of infection will be known once reports are received." Locals claimed that no postmortems were done, which could have shed a light on the deaths.

"Seven persons have died, yet no postmortems were conducted. Without that, how can we know the real cause?" said Dinesh Bhatt, a resident of Dhauladevi. Health officials, however, said that "there is no mystery fever or dengue outbreak." "This appears to be a seasonal viral fever. With the onset of winter, the number of cases is expected to decline," an official said.