The health department of Karimganj district in south Assam on Tuesday sent a team to Karnamadhu village to probe the death of below-10 children but ruled out coronavirus as the cause.

A team of the department had told reporters on Monday, after visiting the village, that seven children had died of coronavirus there.

Karimganj joint director of health services Dr Anup Kumar Daityari told The Telegraph on Tuesday that six children had died in the village of pharyngitis, tonsillitis and fever. He said the coronavirus reports were false as the cause of a death cannot be ascertained without getting tests done from a recognised laboratory. Moreover, the children’s symptoms were not that of coronavirus. He said Tuesday’s team, comprising ENT and paediatricians, had treated at least 30 children and found 18 of them having bacterial infection. He said he had on Monday sent infected children to Silchar Medical College and Hospital, where two died. Health awareness is poor in the area, he added.

North Karimganj MLA Kamalakshya Dey Purkayastha said health personnel should have been careful before mentioning coronavirus. He talked urged the department to organise health camps regularly.

The Mizoram health department on Tuesday reiterated that no case of coronavirus had been detected in the state. Department principal director F. Lallianhlira said wrong information might have been circulated on social media.

Additional reporting by Henry L. Khojol