Jaipur, April 8 Five children, including two siblings, have died within five days from a mysterious illness in the Salumber district of Rajasthan, officials said on Wednesday.
The children, aged between two and four years, reportedly developed symptoms such as fever and vomiting and died within 24 hours, they said.
The cases were reported from the villages of Lalpura and Ghata in the Lasadiya sub-division, where health department teams have been deployed to collect samples and monitor the situation.
Officials identified the deceased as Deepak (4), his brother Laxman (3), and Seema (4) from Lalpura village, and Rahul (4) and Kajal (2) from Ghata village.
Eight other children are currently undergoing treatment at hospitals in Salumber and Udaipur, officials said.
Additional District Magistrate Dinesh Rai Sapela said that screening of residents was carried out in the affected villages, which have over 560 households.
"Medical teams have conducted screening, and anyone showing symptoms will receive treatment," he said, urging villagers to immediately visit the nearest health center if children show any signs of illness.
Chief Medical and Health Officer Mahendra Parmar said that samples have been sent to RNT Medical College for testing, and the exact cause of the illness will only be known after the reports are received.
As a precautionary measure, teams from the animal husbandry department also sprayed disinfectants in cattle sheds in the Ghata village.
Local MLA Thawarchand Damor visited the affected area and reviewed the situation with officials. He urged residents to seek immediate medical attention after the onset of symptoms and to avoid superstition.