Shimla, Sept 18: Ten people have died in Himachal Pradesh due to a mysterious fever, suspected to be "reckettsial disease" cause by lice and mice bite and the patients were responding to treatment, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today. Singh, who visited the IGMC here and met patients and the doctors, told reporters that only those patients who were brought to the hospital in an advanced stage had died while 64 others admitted to the hospital were responding to treatment.

A team of National Institute of Communicable Diseases had arrived and held detailed discussions with the doctors. Singh said that certain "disorders and disorientation" was visible among the patients who were in advanced stage of the disease.

He said that a new ward at the IGMC would be made fully functional from tomorrow to avoid congestion in the wards and 25 nurses would be appointed immediately.

Bureau Report