Mystery fever kills 24 children; 8 kids die within hours of being infected

At least 24 children in the northern Indian state of Haryana have died from a mysterious fever. Eight children reportedly died hours after being infected by the fever, local reports claimed.

Three children died Friday at various hospitals in Palwal, a district in the state. They have been identified as 7-year-old Mubasira, 3-month-old Zishan and 9-day-old Munsida. With this, the death toll due to the fever has reached 24, News 18 reported.

Mubasira's parents told local media the girl complained of fever Thursday evening, due to which she was admitted to a local hospital where she died the following morning.

Zishan's parents told the media their son complained of fever Friday morning and died during treatment hours later.

The Haryana Health Department has, however, failed to identify the mysterious disease or its cause. The authorities have collected blood samples of the deceased kids to identify the illness.

"The samples have been collected to identify the causes behind the mysterious fever," said a health department official.

Meanwhile, the health officials are visiting homes and testing those running a fever for dengue and malaria. They are also being tested for COVID-19.

"We got to know that children have been running fever and there have been deaths. We have been visiting homes. Surveys are being conducted; medicines are being distributed. The team is working round the clock. We also noticed there was poor sanitation. We are doing additional tests to find out the reasons for the fever," a health official said, NDTV reported.

In August, at least 50 people, mostly children, died from a mystery fever in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Apart from fever, the victims also complained of joint pains, headaches, dehydration and nausea. Some of them also complained of rashes spreading across legs and arms. None of the deceased tested positive for COVID-19. "The patients, especially children, in hospitals are dying very quickly," a doctor had said at the time, BBC reported.

However, it wasn't clear if this was the same disease circulating among children in Haryana now.