Daijiworld Media Network - Sullia (MS)

Sullia, Sep 3: People are spending anxious moments in Kalmadka village of the taluk as their children are having a very strange fever. Some children of the area are suffering from this and the disease is spreading fast.

The symptoms of the fever resemble that of the foot and mouth disease found in animals. This disease is commonly seen in hoofed animals like cow, sheep, goat and pig. So far there is no instance of this occurring in the human beings. However, the fever of the same kind has sent shivers down the spine of people in this village. However, the government medical officers have negated this conclusion of people.

The said fever has affected six children below the age of 11 years who live in areas of Kalmadaka, Kachila, Bommetti and Malappamakki. While some parents have taken their children to allopathic doctors, others are using the herbal medicines to cure the same.

So far this disease is seen from breastfeeding babies to children up to the age of 11 years. Though the residents of the village are anxious, the health department is not aware of the same. It is said that the same type of fever was seen in areas around Kateel a year ago.

When Dr Subramanya Rao, taluk medical officer, was approached in this regard, he said, "No case of the reported kind is so far noticed in the taluk. There is no possibility of human beings getting affected by foot and mouth disease. There is a possibility that children might have been affected by this fever due to the change
in the climatic conditions."

Symptoms of the disease

Children are affected by high temperature at first. Then boils filled with water are noticed on feet, legs and mouth. The boils between the fingers of the feet get broken and get filled with puss. Children find it difficult to swallow food due to the ulcers in the mouth.

Team of doctors to be sent

"The strange fever noticed in children is a serious issue. I will get the information from the taluk medical officer and dispatch a team of doctors to the area. I will immediately look into the action of getting the reports. There is no need to panic," said Dr Ramakrishna Rao, district medical officer.

"At first my child got affected with fever. Then boils got erupted on the feet and fingers. Now they are spreading throughout the body. Local doctors have given medicine for general fever. I have also come to know of many children who are affected with the same kind of fever in the vicinity of my village," said Vignesh Bhat Kalmadka, father of a child who is affected by this strange fever.