JHANG, Aug 23 Six girls have been operated upon for appendicitis in the past three weeks in Dadoana village, throwing open a debate on the causes of the ailment which otherwise is neither infectious nor contagious.

Dadoana is a small village on the right bank of the river Chenab (just across the Riwaz bridge), about 15 kilometres from here. It is learnt that the girls, aged between 17 and 22 years, have been operated upon from July 25 to Aug 15.

Naseem Bibi felt pain in her abdomen and a doctor diagnosed appendix problem and operated upon her on July 25. She is the only married woman among the six.

Sumera underwent operation on Aug 7, Ishrat Bibi and Imtiaz Bibi on Aug 11 and Safia had had her appendix removed on the 15th of the same month. Razia and Safia are sisters and all others are first cousins living in the same locality (having 50-60 houses). All the six girls belong to Chuchkana Sial family, the oldest sub-caste of the Sial tribe.

Dr Muhammad Rafiq and Dr Zakia Rafiq have operated upon the girls at a private clinic at Chund Bharwana. Sumera was operated upon by Dr Javed Sheikh at a private clinic in Jhang.

Dr Mussaratul Hasnain, a senior consultant surgeon at the Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, told this correspondent on telephone that “appendicitis is not a contagious disease which one patient catches from another. The case of so many girls of the same age group and family background suffering from it is a coincidence.”

He said “Sometimes patients feeling severe pain in the abdomen close to the appendix are operated upon by non-specialist doctors who hardly go for tests.”

The girls might have consumed some 'poisonous foodstuff' which could cause severe pain.

Dr Rafiq, however, contested the view and explained “Appendicitis, like typhoid, is caused by E.Coli - a bacteria which infects intestines - and is found in water.”

He said it was not a coincidence but apparently contaminated water use as some 25 to 30 people of a locality were operated upon for appendicitis in a Sargodha village a year and a half ago. A similar incident was reported from a Jhelum locality some time back, he added.

He said the blood and water samples had been sent for examination and the actual cause of appendicitis 'outbreak' would be known after the results.

Zafar Iqbal Chuckana, a lecturer at Government College, Jhang, a co-villager, said he had reported the matter to the EDO health but there was no response so far. He said all the girls were recovering and doing well now.