M A I N   N E W S

PM discusses ‘plague’ with Thakur

New Delhi, February 17
Concerned over the reported cases of plague-like disease in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today called the Health Minster, Mr C.P. Thakur and discussed thd situation.

Mr Thakur apprised the Prime Minister of the latest situation there and of the steps taken by the government to deal with it, a spokesman of the PMO said.

Mr Vabpayee also spoke to Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and sought details from him.

Mr Thakur told the Prime Minister that teams of Directorate General of Health Services, National Institute of Communicable Diseases and the PGI, Chandigarh, had been sent to the two states to carry out tests to ascertain whether it was plague or some other disease. They have been directed to submit reports at the earliest, Mr Thakur said.

Meanwhile Mr Thakur, who reviewed with senior Health Ministry officials the situation arising out of the outbreak of the disease said pneumonic plague apparently claimed the lives of three persons in two villages of Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal but the exact nature of the disease would be known in a couple of days even as no fresh case had been reported in the past 10 days. “The symptoms are similar to pneumonic plague,” Mr Thakur told reporters. Responding to a pointed question, he said “I am not ruling out.”

The Health Minister said it would take another two days to come to any conclusion about the nature of the disease.

The team of experts of National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD), which visited Gallu village in the Rohru area would submit its report tomorrow on the nature of the disease, said Himachal Health Secretary Vineet Chowdhury in Shimla.

Fourteen persons are undergoing treatment for the disease — nine at the PGI, Chandigarh, and five in Rohru Civil Hospital in Shimla. One case is stated to be serious.

Mr Thakur, who will visit the affected areas on February 19, said the government had taken steps to quarantine the affected villages and restrict movement of people to these areas. No new case had been reported in any health institution in the Rohroo area as well as Shimla, Himachal Health Minister J.P. Nadda told reporters. PTI

Patients show signs of improvement
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 17
The seven patients admitted to the PGI for the treatment of what is thought to be the deadly pneumonic plague, showed signs of further improvement here today. The two patients Mrs Anu Devi and Mr Rakesh who are under some respiratory distress are being given oxygen.

The PGI also confirmed that the two children belonging to the same family who had been admitted to the to the Advanced Paediatric Centre (APC), PGI, yesterday are not suffering from any pneumonic illness. Both children Ekal and Varun who were complaining of vomiting and stomach ache are now better, are being given antibiotics, and are active.

No new patient with similar symptoms from Himachal Pradesh or any other area has come to the PGI.

Meanwhile, the PGI Director, Dr S.K. Sharma, has stated that the results of the tests being conducted to confirm the exact cause of the disease which has claimed three lives of a family in Himachal Pradesh will be declared day after tomorrow jointly by the PGI and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi.

‘‘The NICD and PGI are conducting these tests based on the WHO protocol and nothing can be confirmed at this stage till all the tests given in the WHO guidelines are conducted and their results available’’, he said.

Plague scare in Uttaranchal village

Dehra Dun, February 17
The Health authorities have administered antibiotics, including tetracycline, to more than 600 persons in villages of Chakrata block in the district bordering Himachal Pradesh, following plague scare there, a top official said here today.

This precautionary measure follows the death of a woman, identified as Pushpa Devi, on Thursday due to a plague-like disease. Pushpa, who had gone to the nearby Rohru village to meet her relative, had developed the mysterious disease raising fear of plague at Banpur village in the block where she used to live.

Uttaranchal Health Secretary Alok Jain said the government had taken precautionary steps on a war footing in view of the plague scare.

Mr Jain said the Chief Medical Officer, Dr B.C. Pathak, had rushed to Banpur village to take stock of the situation.

He said the district authorities had not so far come across any report regarding plague-like disease in these areas. PTI