Atleast 11 people of the same extended family reportedly died from a ‘mystery fever’ in a village named Rukanpur in Rahim Yar Khan, within the span of a few days.

The first death occurred on December 23. Reports also said that 10 children had died of a similar disease a few days ago in the same area. Doctors at the Sheikh Zayed Medical College, where the victims were brought, and relatives of the deceased were perplexed as to what was happening.

The deaths all happened within a few days and the only symptom shown was a rapidly deteriorating fever. One relative of the deceased told BBC Urdu that as soon as they would complete the burial and rites of one deceased member, another would fall sick. The dead included a 60-year-old woman and two three-year-old children.

A five-member committee led by Health Services Director General Dr Sohail Arshad Rana is sompiling a report on the matter that will be completed soon. The committee visited the places where the affected family lived and collected samples from food and cattle.

Dr Ilyas Ahmed, a spokesman for the Sheikh Zayed Hospital, said that expert doctors had concluded that the death were caused by meningitis, commonly referred as ‘gardan torr bukhar’ in Pakistan.

However, one of the members of the committee, Dr Mufakir Mian of the WHO said that it was premature to say that the fever was meningitis and a final opinion can only be formed after the report.

A special ward has been set up in the hospital, and 11 more people are being treated for similar symptoms.

What is meningitis?

Meningitis is an infection and inflammation of the fluid and membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Common symptoms include headaches, fevers and a stiff neck, hence the name gardan tor bukhar.

The disease can be transferred from one person to the other, but not in the same way as a viral flu spreads. It is normally spread in rooms with poor ventilation, poor sanitation and mosquitoes. It normally spreads to a person after being in close proximity with a person for an extended period of time.