Lamka, January 10 2009: Against the backdrop of discharging 15 patients from the hospital today, a mere seven ailing villagers including a twelve-year-old girl were all that remain in the temporary isolation ward, five days after an avian flu like illness hit a tiny hamlet of Misao Lhahvom, seven kilometres south-east of Lamka.

Forty-two people from the village have undergone treatment in the isolation ward of the district hospital here since Monday after an unknown illness struck them in an epidemic scale.

Though the state medical officials were still at a loss what exactly is behind the mass illness with symptoms of high fever and cough, Dr L Asha Nanda Singh, Regional Director (H & FW) today claimed that the germ infecting the villagers was air-bone and that it was contacted not from drinking water or the foods they share.

'It is advisable that the village school is closed until the situation is completely under control,' he said.

Advising villagers to cover till their nose with the shawl they put on to prevent further spreading of the illness, the director also asked them to scale down social gathering to avoid unnecessary social contact.

In addition to seven patients released yesterday, 15 more headed for homes today taking the number in the isolation ward to seven � five female and two male.

The sole patient who was re-admitted after being discharged was among the seven that were left behind.

Assistance for the villagers that suffered a blow from the unknown disease still pours in as COMFA representatives gifted them five bags of rice and another one by Rural Aid Service.

Visiting the district hospital here to take stock of the efficacy it has established with, Vumlunmang (IAS), Secy Health and Dr Motilal Singh, Director Health were taken aback by the condition of the second biggest state sponsored hospital in the state.

'Too dirty' is their initial comment on seeing the filthy wards.

The duo called on the Medical Superintendent to immediately rope in services of youth clubs, NGOs or Philanthropic organizations to sanitise the entire premises besides re-allocating its whooping 72 odd Grade IV employees.

They also quizzed the superintendent on why patients have to run for Kerosene oil and petrol every time any form of operation was needed.

A life-size generator set was installed sometime last year but hospital officials said the 20 plus litres of oil needed to run the generator every hour was unaffordable.

It is still not clear if the claims were concocted or why it was installed at all if it was that costly.

On witnessing the CT scan still remaining idle Dr Motilal Singh who had witness the expensive equipment in similar condition earlier, was taken aback that no efforts were made to make the machine working.

It is worth mentioning that the hospital management has continued to maintain wicked record in maintaining the establishment despite wide scale media critics.

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