Naya Bustee-Panighata (Kurseong), Nov. 10: Malignant malaria has killed five people in five villages, two in Naxalbari and three in Mirik, in the past two days.

There are fears that almost every house in the five villages — there are around 400 families living in the area — could have a member affected by the dreaded disease.

The villages — Sishabari, BawunVitta, Naya Bustee-I, Naya Bustee-II and Naya Bustee-III — are sandwiched between Balasun river on the east and the Bengdubi army ammunition depot on the west.

The first two fall under Naxalbari block in Siliguri while the rest come under Mirik block in Kurseong.

Ranjit Bhagat, the medical officer at the Bagdogra block primary health centre, confirmed the five cerebral malaria deaths and admitted they had failed to buck the disease.

“We have visited the area twice in the past couple of days. There have been at least five deaths in the area due to cerebral malaria. Though we managed to treat some 150-odd patients, we have not been able contain the disease.”

However, later in the day, he said it was not possible to quote the exact number of people who were dead or suffering from cerebral malaria.

“You see the medical team from Bagdogra visited the area yesterday and collected blood samples from some 90 persons suffering high fever and body ache. I am unable to give the death figures as most of the patients were referred to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. Please check with them,” said the officer.

“The villagers only seek proper medical help after the cases become severe. They rely mostly on ojhas,” Bhagat added. Twenty-three-year-old Nilima Roy of Sishabari, whose entire family has been afflicted by the disease, had a different story to tell.

“My entire family is fighting malaria. While my father and elder brother are admitted to NBMCH in critical condition, my mother and sisters are lying sick at home. No one from the health centre has come to visit us in the last few days.”

Nilima alleged that even after neighbour Baluram Oraon was taken to Bagdogra health centre last week and the doctors informed of the “sudden fever”, no one came down to check on the villages.

Oraon died at NBMCH last week, a day after he was admitted. It was only after the death of four more villagers that a medical team visited the area on Saturday and took blood samples, said Nilima.

A medical team, which had come down to Naya Bustee-I yesterday to administer pulse polio drops, left without visiting the houses of the affected people, said Krishna Sharma, a villager.