“While the state health authorities have shown their inability in finding the reason for the deaths, which had happened due to a fever-like condition, a team of experts from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) will now go and check,” said Dr G P S Dhillon, director, NVBDCP in response to a report sent by the state Government on Tuesday, disclosing that local health authorities were not able to pinpoint the reason for the deaths.

So far, the fever has spread across 150 villages, specifically in four blocks — Amraudha, Malasa, Dherapur and Sarvankheda — home to 3 lakh people in Kanpur. Most of the deaths occurred on Monday, following which 40 teams of doctors have been deployed in the blocks where the “mystery” fever has spread. A village Seruva ka Purva under Sarvankheda Block has already witnessed over a 100 cases and the deaths of two children in the past few days.