Villagers in Henan Province whose relatives died after being bitten by as a result of being bitten by deer ticks carrying a deadly virus have accused health centers of misdiagnoses and say the local government is covering up the extent of the problem.

The wife (Top) of Bao Xiangyi, a villager from Henan province who died nine days after being bitten in May by a tick (Down, Right), holds his photo in grief on Aug 24. [Sun Xuyang / for China Daily]

The disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), has killed at least 18 people in Henan since 2007. Most of the cases this summer were in the Shihe and Pingqiao districts of Xinyang, a prefecture-level city, the provincial Public Health Department said in a statement.

Well-known disease

But HGA is a known problem. According to government statistics, there were 79 cases and 10 fatalities in Henan alone, from March to September 2007.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordered the Henan branch of the CDC to start monitoring the disease on May 31 this year.

The disease usually strikes between May and August and most of those infected are between the ages of 40 and 70, officials say.

Wang Deqiang, vice director of a local county hospital, said there had been an outbreak of the disease in the United States as far back as 1918-1919. On that occasion 5 percent of those infected died. The general mortality rate these days is between 2 and 8 percent, but if detected early the disease can usually be cured, he said.

Victim diagnosed as mentally ill

Wang admitted that some of the patients who died had been misdiagnosed by local clinics. A delay in diagnosing the disease is critical, he said, because once complications set in, HGA is difficult to treat.

The most unlucky man, a Mr. Zeng, was successively misdiagnosed as having a cold, mental illness, and meningitis by a local doctor. He was eventually sent to the county hospital but a few days later he suffered a convulsion and died.

Misdiagnosis for profit

Some villagers suspect the local clinics deliberately misdiagnosed their relatives in order to sell them expensive drugs and treatment. They say local medical staff had been trained to diagnose HGA and should have been able to recognize the symptoms of the disease.

What is not in doubt is that delays in arriving at correct diagnoses proved fatal. Untreated, victims usually die three to four days after being bitten by an infected bug. The virus infiltrates cells, killing blood platelets and leucocytes. The symptoms are fever, bloody coughs, vomiting and diarrhea.

Wang said the health authorities are stepping up their efforts to train medical stuff and improve quality of medical care.

Government cover-up

Villagers also accuse the local government of covering up the extent of the problem. They say that in the 2007 HGA outbreak, the number of reported cases was far less than the actual number.

The latest fatalities have understandably disturbed local residents and the lack of specific information from the health authorities is fueling sometimes wild speculation. There are even rumors that people have been bitten to death while relaxing on the grass in public parks.

An insider from the local health department said the Xinyang government had not released detailed information about the latest outbreak because they feared a public panic would lead to social disorder.