BHOPAL: Multiple infections, with symptoms resembling malaria and contagious scabies, have claimed the lives of at least six children aged between one and 14 in four tribal-dominated villages in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district over the past six weeks.
More than 100 other children and teenagers who fell ill have also received treatment at government health facilities in the district.
All six deaths, reported between June 26 and August 6, and the cases of illness have been reported from villages predominantly inhabited by members of the Baiga tribe.
The Baiga are among the three particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) residing in various parts of Madhya Pradesh.
At least six deaths have been reported in Korka, Kundekasa and Bondari, among the worst-hit villages. Three deaths were reported from Bondari, while one each was reported from Kundekasa and Korka.
Illness among children up to the age of 17 has also been reported from two other Baiga-dominated villages, Machhurda and Adori.
“Those children who died and those who have been admitted at hospitals, have shown symptoms of multiple infections, similar to symptoms of Malarial fever, scabies skin infection, besides symptoms of nutritional deficiencies as well. Blood and water samples have subsequently been sent to multiple advanced testing facilities across the country, including an ICMR institution in Kolkata and the National Institute of Virology (NIV-Pune) and reports are awaited,” Balaghat district's chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr Paresh Uplap told TNIE on Tuesday.
“Besides, teams from ICMR-National Institute for Tribal Health Research (NITHR) and Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP-Bhopal) and Jabalpur Medical College have also camped in the affected villages recently and returned with samples. We’re awaiting the reports from the specialized government research institutions to ascertain the actual cause of the multiple infections and six related deaths,” Dr Uplap added.
A temporary health centre has been set up at a government school in Kundekasa because of the high number of cases reported there.
“Till now 98 patients aged between 3 years and 17 years have been admitted at the Balaghat District Hospital, out of which 51 have already been discharged after successful treatment. The remaining 47 patients are under round-the-clock monitoring and treatment of doctors,” Dr Uplap said.
Doctors treating the children said patients had reported high fever, rashes, red spots, stomach ache and ulcers.
Dependence on faith-healing worsened situation
Sources involved in the treatment of the children and teenagers said the situation in the four to five affected villages had worsened because cases were reported late to government health facilities, with many families relying instead on faith-healers and rituals.
“We faced a lot of non-cooperation from the affected families in the concerned villages. Instead of cooperating with our teams, they went to faith-healers and indulged in rituals like sacrificing poultry,” a doctor treating the patients said.
“It was with great difficulty that the medical treatment of patients started and the most serious ones were admitted at the government health facilities and district hospital. Had the six kids also received timely treatment, their lives would have been saved,” the doctor added.