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Deadly virus strikes Gorakhpur, 40 children dead
by Vipul Goel

      Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh): At least 40 children have died and hundreds more are pouring into hospitals in the town of Gorakhpur in what doctors say is an outbreak of Coxsackie, a deadly virus which leaves children with weeks of high fever, fits and diarrohea. The outbreak has struck even before the last survivors of a massive encephalitis epidemic, which had killed more than 900 children in the region, leave the town's hospitals. The virus has hit children most severely leaving them with sudden fevers of up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, painful spasms in the muscles of the chest and upper abdomen and in some cases also lead to meningitis. Doctors say the disease is perplexing and not commonly known, especially in interior villages where local medicos and quacks are treating it with antibiotics, which is only delaying treatment for the children.

    Most victims are children belonging to poor families, who cannot afford the expensive tests -- they account for 80 percent of the deaths so far in Gorakhpur. "For every 100 children admitted, nine are dying. Nearly 30-40 children have died in the outbreak," K.P Kushawaha, head of pediatrics at the state-run BRD Medical College, said. "This year the suddenly the number of children have increased. Everyday we have three to five children are coming in with long fever. Doctors outside are not able to understand the disease and they are giving antibiotics, which are useless. This is a viral disease so antibiotics will not work," he added. Named after a US town where it was first discovered Coxsackie is part of the enterovirus family that live in the human digestive tract. They spread from people through unwashed hands and surfaces contaminated by feces. There is no vaccine for Coxsackie virus infections but the risk of infections may be lessened by good personal hygiene-almost non-existent across most small towns and villages in India dotted by filth and open drains, Health workers say only a massive cleanup exercise and opening of clean public toilets can help prevent diseases like Coxsackie from taking epidemic proportions. The Uttar Pradesh government has been under fire for its poor health services and negligence of recurring disease, particularly during the August-September encephalitis outbreak, which doctors say, could have been prevented, or at least minimized, with an early and thorough vaccination campaign.