India: more than 60 deaths from mysterious fever in Uttar Pradesh
Children's hospital in Allahabad, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, September 2, 2021. AFP - SANJAY KANOJIA
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2 min
Indian experts favor the track of a dengue or typhus outbreak linked to poor hygiene, but have not yet succeeded in clearly establishing the origin of this outbreak.
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With our correspondent in Bangalore,
Côme Bastin
What happens to the people of Firozabad district?
This week, they were hit by high fevers accompanied by dehydration, upset stomach and low blood platelets.
The death toll has risen rapidly in the region to 67, the vast majority of whom are children.
The symptoms resemble those of mosquito-borne dengue fever, and several victims have tested positive there.
The Indian National Institute of Virology is trying to understand if this is a new variant of this disease.
Other doctors favor the trail of tropical typhus transmitted by mites.
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Lack of hygiene and monsoon
A team of health experts from the Indian Council for Medical Research was dispatched to the scene.
The state of Uttar Pradesh has announced a massive door-to-door campaign and disinfection of larvae in the affected areas.
Whatever its origin, this viral fever was certainly favored by a lack of hygiene, amplified by the monsoon rains.
Meanwhile, media are reporting long queues outside pharmacies and hospitals in Firozabad.
The mysterious fever has also caused deaths in Mathura district.
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