Mysterious Deaths Close Schools in Badulla Sri Lanka
Recombinomics Commentary
March 31, 2005
>>Four epidemiological teams from the capital Colombo have left for the central region to investigate the sudden death of two students and the vice principal of a rural school in Badulla, the official Daily News reported Thursday......
The three persons who died were said to be residents of Uva-Paranagama. Schools in the area remain closed given the threat of an unidentified disease. Two people have been admitted to hospital for treatment, but their conditions are not critical.<<
The three deaths and two hospitalizations form a tight cluster of unexplained illness and death in a small area of Sri Lanka. These illnesses extend the number of unusual cases on the island.
Before the Tsunami hit, there were a series of flu fatalities. Initially the diagnosis was Influenza A. Then a couple of patients were said to have Influenza B. However, the large number of deaths was unusual. These cases were in the southern portion of Sri Lanka.
After the Tsunami there were mysterious flu deaths in northern Sri Lanka. Further information on these cases has not been reported.
More recently, there was an outbreak of myocarditis in Badulla district that affected patients and health care workers. A cause of the disease was not reported.
Now there is a new cluster of illness linked to rural schools in the same Badulla district. This has produced another significant investigative response, but these investigations fail to identify the etiological agent, which is an increasing cause for concern.
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