A town on the India-Myanmar border in Manipur has been hit by a mysterious disease that claimed at least seven lives in the past few days.

The Government of Manipur has sent teams of medics to Moreh in Chandel district of the state, after reports reaching the capital-city Imphal indicated that a large number of people — mostly children — have fallen sick with an undiagnosed disease.

Health minister Pheiroijam Parijat said the medical teams would not only take care of the patients suffering from the unknown disease, but also collect blood samples for necessary tests at labs in Imphal.

He said the disease has reportedly spread fast in the villages along the border. The symptoms included high fever, stomachache and vomiting. The patients who died in the past few days had convulsions and even seizures before breathing their last, he added.

“We will do whatever is necessary to contain the outbreak,” said Mr Parijat.

Moreh — nearly 110 km south east of Imphal — is the last Indian town on the National Highway 39, which is also known as ‘Indo-Myanmar Road’.
Thanks to flourishing border trade between the two neighbours since 1995, the small town is now a busy business hub.

But healthcare facilities continue to be rudimentary in Moreh. The border-town has only one primary healthcare centre, which was upgraded to a community health centre early this year.

But it was later shifted to Sugnu in neighbouring Thoubal district. The unit in Moreh was left defunct with the doctors and other staff being relocated to Sugnu.

The health minister said the state government has plans to set up a 50-bedded hospital in Moreh. “We are also revitalising the defunct unit in Moreh so that people are not deprived of healthcare facilities before the hospital comes up,” he added.