Mystery disease claims 6 children

But Muzaffar Ahmad, Director, Health and Medical Education, says instead: “It is not measles. The children were suffering from some respiratory infection. It is common in all cold places.”

Gujjars make up most of the inhabitants in Sangerwani. “I have lost both my children — a 9-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy,” Bag Hussain Taidwa says. His three other children have been admitted to the Srinagar Hospital. “Five children have died in our village. There are more than a hundred who have from the disease,” he adds.

Villagers say the children died because of lack of medical aid. The road to Sangerwani is still closed and people have to trek more than four km to reach the village.There is a Primary Health Centre (PHC) in the area but it has no staff.

“We have a dispensary but that is without a doctor,” Mohammad Yaseen says as she tends to her two-year-old daughter, Saiman, at the G B Pant Hospital where a special ward has been reserved for the children from Pulwama. “Our children would not have died if there had been a doctor,” she said.

Ahmad admits the Health Centre is non-functional. “The

Primary Health Centre would be made functional from next year. We have a sub-centre there and a paramedic is already posted there.”

A top police officer from the area was the first to inform the Health Department when the disease broke out a week ago.

But a medical team was sent only yesterday.

“We have sent our medical teams to the villages. The CMO (Chief Medical Officer) is himself heading the team. We have also distributed medicines there,” Ahmad says.