By Tashi Dema

Dunmang CPS, Zhemgang – An 11-year old student of Dunmang school, Zhemgang, died of suspected kidney inflammation on December 6.

Four others are recovering in Yebilaptsa hospital.

Doctors call it acute glomerulonephritis, a bacterial infection.

The class III student from Kamjong village, died at home, complaining of headache and swelling of face and stomach.

Yebilaptsa hospital assistant clinical officer Uttam Sherpa said the students, between 13 and 14 years, were brought to the hospital on December 7. They were suffering from similar symptoms.

"Laboratory investigations revealed high presence of protein in the patients' urine," Uttam Sherpa said.

He said all patients had a history of consuming beef from dead cattle that died of black quarter disease.

School principal Bhim Bahadur Subba, said the first incidence of the disease was reported on November 23. "We didn't take it seriously, thinking the child had allergy," he said.

But, on November 30, two other children complained of the same disease. About three were infected last week.

Though health and livestock officials are still investigating, villagers suspect the infected meat caused the outbreak.

A 50-year old man from Kamjong said the disease outbreak surfaced two months ago, where about 20 cattle died in the locality. "My child was infected after eating the meat," the father of three, who is in Yebilaptsa attending to his son, said.

Meanwhile, on His Majesty's command, two officials from the regional welfare office in Bumthang arrived in Zhemgang to offer semso and collect first hand information last night.