DADU, Jan 11: A disease caused by respiratory syntial virus has spread in five villages of the Kachho area as a result five children died on Friday and Saturday and over two dozen children are reportedly ill.

The affected villagers said that no team of health department had come to their villages to provide information about the diseases.

This virus has attacked Pir Bux Lashari, Urs Leghari, Faiz Mohammad Jamali, Dodo Birhamani and Pario Jamali villages of Johi taluka.

The dead included five-year-old Imran, son of Chhatto Leghari; Irfan, 11 months, son of Amin Lashari; Farzana, 10, daughter of Waris Chandio; Maria, eight months, daughter of Ali Jamali, and Bashir, 5, son of Rahman Lashari.

Talking to this correspondent, Medical Officer of Wahi Pandhi Basic Health Unit, Dr Zubair Ahmed, confirmed to have received information from the local villagers that the deaths were caused by a deadly disease.

He said that the Wahi Pandhi BHU and government dispensaries in Pario Jamali, Murad Jamali and Fazal Jamali villages covered the affected villages of Kachho. However, he said that the BHU and dispensaries were facing shortages of anti-biotic drugs to treat the patients.

Dr Zubair said that the virus hit respiratory system and directly affected lungs. He said that if the virus attacked a child, he died within 24 hours.

However, he did not agree that any of those who died because of the disease was brought to Wahi Pandhi BHU for treatment.

Social worker of Kachho belt, Bashir Birhamani, said that five children had died during the two days and over two dozen children were ill. The BHU, he added, was facing shortage of medicines.

Social workers Zulifiqar Rustamani and Akbar Lashari have appealed to EDO Health Dr Qalnadar Bux to send specialists’ teams to the affected villages.