June 2, 2006	Friday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 5, 1427

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TOBA TEK SINGH, June 1: Dozens of children in the age group of one to seven are still suffering from the mysterious disease which earlier claimed lives of five others in Chak 515-GB near Kamalia a few days back.

A media team which visited the village on Thursday was informed by the local people that their children had red spots on their bodies and were suffering from fever for the last one week.

A health department team headed by EDO Muhammad Akram visited the village and examined various children to know the death cause of five children.

The local people said although the health team vaccinated many village children against measles and other seasonal epidemics but its members were unsure about the nature of the ailment.

They claimed that presently more than 150 village children had disease symptoms.

They said the ailment had terrorised the area people as they didn’t know what had killed their children and demanded that health department should detect the nature of the disease by setting up a camp laboratory at the village. The department should also suggest preventive measures to save children from the disease, they demanded.

District Officer (health) Dr Siraj Din Shad claimed that a team comprising specialist doctors was sent to the village, which reported that the children who died were treated by some quacks.

He added that a child who was reported to be sick in the village had been diagnosed with pneumonia and he was now feeling better after treatment.

He said respiratory distress, a common disease in wheat harvesting season, or heat stroke might have caused children’s deaths, but added that nothing could be said with certainty until laboratory tests’ results were received.

He claimed that a camp had been set up in the village and his teams would daily visit the area to take immediate action if any child was found with disease symptoms there.