Bareilly Shivers Under Bout of High Fever, 50 Deaths in 15 days

LUCKNOW:
Fate has hit Ramavatar Singh of Badi Nagla village hard.
His eldest daughter, Rohini Singh, 19, died on September 7 after a bout of high fever. Two days later, fever claimed the life of his 14-year-old son, Sonu. But before the family began preparations for the last rites, Singh’s 17-year-old daughter, Renu, fainted due to high fever and he had to rush her to a nearby hospital on his shoulders.
Like Singh’s family, fever has wreaked havoc on many families in Bareilly, claiming over 50 lives over the last fortnight. The official figure, as on Tuesday evening, however, stood at 20.
On Wednesday, patients suffering from fever and bouts of shivering continued to pour in at the District Hospital and other health centres across Bareilly district.
“Since August 29, we have admitted over 1,500 patients with fever- like symptoms,” Vineet Shukla, chief medical officer, Bareilly said.
One of the deceased, Acchu Yadav, 35, of Majhawan block in Bareilly succumbed to fever on August 29. His 32-year-old widow is battling with similar symptoms but is more concerned about their six daughters aged between four months and 14 years.
“I had to sell the water pump in our field to perform the last rights of my husband. I don’t know how I will feed my children,” she said.
Deaths in the district forced UP health minister Siddharth Nath Singh to carry out an inspection here on Tuesday. He found gross negligence by officials concerned and suspended district malaria officer Pankaj Kumar Jain.