12 dead in Guj from fever, claim residents; pneumonitis, say officials

Twelve persons, including four children below the age of 12, have died in Lakhpat taluka in Gujarat's Kutch district days after the region was battered by heavy rains, with officials on Sunday saying the cause of death primarily appears to be pneumonitis.

Some local district panchayat members, however, said doctors had not been able to accurately diagnose the fever, which was also causing difficulty in breathing. Medical services in the taluka, which is located near the border with Pakistan, have been intensified with the deployment of 22 surveillance teams, doctors and obtaining samples from residents to rule to possibility of H1N1, swine flu, Crimean-Congo fever, malaria and dengue, Kutch Collector Amit Arora said. "Primarily, the deaths appear to have been caused by pneumonitis. It does not appear to be from contamination nor does it seem like a communicable disease. Twenty-two health department teams are working in the affected areas, including those brought on deputation from .