The disease has scared villagers and , many of them are leaving the village, sources said.

According to Thakurgaon Civil Surgeon Dr. Shahadat Hossain, the dead are Md. Ziaur Rahman, 35, Parul Begum, 30 and Lal Mohammad, 34. Those attacked are Md. Mizanur Rahman, 34 and Shefali Begum.

According to doctors in Thakurgaon and at Dinajpur Sadar Hospital, the patients become unconscious due to high fever and show symptoms of blood dysentery.

Two medical teams from Thakurgaon and Dinajpur led by Civil Surgeon Dr. Shahdat Hossain and Dr. Younus Ali respectively visited the village, about 70 kilometres from Thakurgaon town. But they failed to find out any clue.

A five-member medical team from Dhaka led by Dr. Imtiaz Asraf Chowdhury went to the village on Monday.

The teams collected stool, urine and blood of infected people from Haripur and Rangpur Medical College Hospital. They also consulted with other doctors at Dinajpur Medical College Hospital and Rangpur Medical College Hospital, sources said.

The five-member team left Thakurgaon for Dhaka yesterday.

Doctors at Haripur upazila health complex, quoting family members of the victims at Belua village said, the first victim-- Md. Ziaur Rahman--was admitted to the health complex on January 23. He was referred to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital next day with high fever. He died there on January 26.

Parul Begum also succumbed to the disease at Rangpur Medical College Hospital on February 10.

Parul was first admitted to Dinapur Medical College Hospital. Doctors referred her to RMCH. Doctors there said they could not diagnose the disease..

The two others are being treated at Haripur Health Complex, according to sources at Thakurgaon CS office.

Sources said that, Mizanur Rahman was the driver of the microbus who drove the vehicle and took Parul Begum to RMCH.

Dr. Shahadat Hossain said, “We are waiting for reports by experts who visited the area”.