Medical team to investigate Kandhamal poison' deaths

BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR: Even as a four-member expert team from MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur rushed to Gudrikia village under
Kandhamal district's Daringibadi block to ascertain the exact cause of the series of deaths in the locality, no more casualty was reported on Monday, keeping total number of human deaths at eight.

"The expert team, consisting of specialists from medicine, community medicine, microbiology and paediatric departments, has rushed to the village to study the cause of the sudden death of the villagers," principal of the MKCG medical college Sonamali Bag said. The team proceeded for tribal-dominated Kandhamal following a state government directive.
While two medical teams arrived in the village on Sunday, more doctors from nearby locations were being sent to the area to prevent spread of the "mysterious disease" to other parts of Saramuli gram panchayat and adjacent Gadapur gram panchayat.

Though it is suspected that the villagers have fallen prey to either food poisoning caused by consumption of wild mushrooms or to cerebral malaria, doctors are yet to ascertain the reason.

While two persons died on Saturday, another six perished on Sunday. Those dead include at least six children. Several others in the village are also suffering from the disease, with at least half a dozen people admitted to the government-run hospital at Daringibadi.

Initially, doctors suspected that the deaths were owing to food poisoning caused by consumption of wild mushrooms. But when more and more people showed similar symptoms of vomiting and high fever, they guessed the cause might be malaria. But officially the exact for the deaths remains to be announced. "The exact cause could be ascertained only after medical tests are conducted by the expert team," chief district medical officer (in-charge), Kandhamal, Jatin Patnaik said.

Despite the administration trying to control the spread of the disease, panic-stricken villagers have started deserting the remote village, which has around 40 tribal families.