Four die of mysterious disease in Lower Dir

TIMERGARA: At least four persons have died in Barimki Bala, Barimki Payeen and Barimki Kharkai villages at Khanpur Union Council of tehsil Adenzai in Lower Dir due to a mysterious disease, official and local sources said.

Those who died included Gulai Bibi,60, and wife of Gul Haider), Ram Qavi, 35, wife of Noor Khan, Naila, 18, and Wasif Khan, 7, son of Rahmani Gul. Two other persons suffering from the disease included Raziat, 36, wife of Said Amin Khan and daughter of Rahmanul Haq who had been under treatment at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) at Peshawar, the sources added.

It is pertinent to mention here that three years ago the same mysterious disease had taken seven lives in the same area.

Though the Health Department had dispatched medical teams to identify the causes of the disease, no clear cause had been identified. The Expanded Programme on Immunization, Lower Dir, coordinator, Dr Irshad, told The News that a special medical team had been dispatched to the area on the directives of DHO Lower Dir Dr Shaukat Ali and samples of water and blood from 200 residents had been collected but so far no clear causes of the disease had been pointed out. "Lower Dir Health Department has planned fumigation and very soon fumigation drive would be conducted in the area check spread of the disease," Dr Irshad added.