Reasi dist admin on alert after 'unknown' disease kills two minor sisters

Two minor sisters have died of an undiagnosed disease at a hospital in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, officials said Saturday.

The news of the minors' deaths put the district administration on alert, prompting the authorities to constitute a special medical team to ascertain the cause of the deaths.

The deceased were identified as Ashruti Devi, 8, and her sister Asho Devi, 5. They breathed their last on Friday at Reasi District Hospital within two hours of being brought there by their father Prem Chand from far-flung Danour village in Arnas area, officials said.

The bodies of the girls were handed over to Chand for last rites after a team of doctors conducted the post-mortem on Saturday.

Superintendent of the hospital Pritam Singh said it was premature to say anything about the disease which led to the deaths.

"The post-mortem report is awaited and only after getting it can we say anything about the cause of their death," he said.

Chand said his daughters fell sick a few days ago, at the time the family believed it was a case of throat infection.

"When their condition deteriorated, I took them to a local dispensary. There we were referred to Reasi District Hospital. However, my girls could not be saved," he said.

Reasi District Development Commissioner Sagar Dattatray Doifode said he had ordered setting up of a special medical team to look into the deaths of the two minors.

"The medical team visited Danour village on Saturday and conducted an inspection among the people for symptoms of diphtheria, but nothing of the sort was found," he told PTI.

As the autopsy report was yet to be prepared, the officer said the medical team was carrying out a preventive vaccination drive for various life threatening diseases among the children in the village and adjoining areas.