Seven more children were affected by the 'unknown' disease at hilly Tripurapara in Sitakunda upazila of Chittagong and admitted to hospital yesterday, reports UNB.

The newly affected children -- Toufiq Kumar Tripura, 4, Madhu Kumar, 8, Gita Babu, 14, Shimul, 2, Hridoy, 10, Rimon, 4, and Rotna, 8 -- were admitted to Fouzdarhat Infectious Diseases Hospital on Friday, said Civil Surgeon of the district Azizur Rahman Siddique.

With this, some 59 children have so far been admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital and Chittagong Medical College Hospital with the unknown disease.

Nine children reportedly died of the mysterious disease in four days till Wednesday. Six other children were affected by the disease on Thursday. The local administration distributed dry food among all the families of Tripurapara, said upazila nirbahi officer Nazmul Alam Bhuiyan.

Meanwhile, a three-member committee has been formed to confirm what caused the outbreak of a mysterious disease that has taken the lives of children in Sitakunda upazila.

Civil Surgeon of the district Azizur Rahman Siddique said the three-member probe body, headed by Mirsarai Upazila Helath Officer Dr MD Abdul Malek, has been constituted to look into the matter.

The committee has been asked to submit its report within 72 hours, he said.

Of the nine children who died of the mysterious disease, four died on Wednesday in their respective houses, said Sitakunda Upazila Health Officer Dr SM Nurul Karim Rashed.

Earlier on Thursday, a four-member physician team, led by Dr Faruk Ahmed, reached Fouzdarhat Infectious Diseases Hospital from Dhaka.

The special team said the disease is not contagious. The physicians think the children fell sick due to long-time malnutrition, the Civil Surgeon said, adding that the main reason behind the mysterious disease can be ascertained after analysing the blood samples.