News

Volume 9 Issue 2 - April 01, 2012

Unknown disease causing disability amongst children in Kashmir

D.N.I.S. News Network, India: The outbreak of a mysterious disease in a village about 32 kilometres from Tumina in Kashmir has resulted in multiple disabilities in children. The children hit by this disease, it seems, are unable to speak and their nervous system, liver, eyes and brain have been affected. At least eight children have become disabled due to this disease in the month of March alone.

Residents of the village have been doing the rounds of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (S.K.I.M.S.) and other medical institutions, but to no avail. S.K.I.M.S. expressed its inability to treat the children, saying that there are no facilities in the hospital for these tests.

After repeated reminders and representations from residents of the village, a team of doctors from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (I.D.S.P.), Kupwara, visited the village and took water samples from the bore wells and blood samples of the affected children and their parents. However, nothing has resulted from this visit, said the residents.

The Sarpanch of Tumina village has now appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to intervene.