Mystery fever stalks city of Taj
Vijay Upadhyay
Agra. It's the city of one of the beautiful architectures in the world but the ancient city of the Taj Mahal is perhaps one of the dirtiest cities of the country, with sanitation virtually non-existent here.
It is this lack of sanitary discipline that has resulted in one of the largest outbreaks of virulent diseases in the town this month, disabling at least 15-20 per cent of the city's total population with a mystery viral fever.
This has made the local health officials warn tourists arriving in the city to 'arm' themselves against the diseases plaguing the city of the love mausoleum.
Doctors in urban areas are trying to cope with fever that is making people in thousands bedridden very week, but all they have are increased dosages of antibiotics to help the body's own immune system tide over the sickness. Yet the viruses have begun taking their toll in the rural areas where entire villages have come down with virus-related fever that usually lasts at least three-five days.
The effect of this virulent disease can be seen in like banks, insurance and telecom companies in Agra, where each section has at least one-two employees on "fever-leaves".
Commenting on the seriousness of the airborne sickness that has gripped the city, Sarojini Naidu Medical College Principal, Prof Deoki Nandan, said the viral fever was quite common in the months of August and September after rain each year, but it was due to lack of sanitary discipline among local residents that the sickness reached such gigantic scales this year.
According to Dr CM Mawar, Chief Medical Officer Agra, as there was no vaccine available for the viral flu, the best way to get over this sickness was to rest at home, preferably in complete isolation, while taking antibiotics.
Agra. It's the city of one of the beautiful architectures in the world but the ancient city of the Taj Mahal is perhaps one of the dirtiest cities of the country, with sanitation virtually non-existent here.
It is this lack of sanitary discipline that has resulted in one of the largest outbreaks of virulent diseases in the town this month, disabling at least 15-20 per cent of the city's total population with a mystery viral fever.
This has made the local health officials warn tourists arriving in the city to 'arm' themselves against the diseases plaguing the city of the love mausoleum.
Doctors in urban areas are trying to cope with fever that is making people in thousands bedridden very week, but all they have are increased dosages of antibiotics to help the body's own immune system tide over the sickness. Yet the viruses have begun taking their toll in the rural areas where entire villages have come down with virus-related fever that usually lasts at least three-five days.
The effect of this virulent disease can be seen in like banks, insurance and telecom companies in Agra, where each section has at least one-two employees on "fever-leaves".
Commenting on the seriousness of the airborne sickness that has gripped the city, Sarojini Naidu Medical College Principal, Prof Deoki Nandan, said the viral fever was quite common in the months of August and September after rain each year, but it was due to lack of sanitary discipline among local residents that the sickness reached such gigantic scales this year.
According to Dr CM Mawar, Chief Medical Officer Agra, as there was no vaccine available for the viral flu, the best way to get over this sickness was to rest at home, preferably in complete isolation, while taking antibiotics.
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