BALAGHAT: An unidentified disease marked by fever, rashes and kidney damage has claimed the lives of at least seven children in the tribal-dominated Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh since late June.The outbreak has been reported in several villages, including Adori, Machhurda Panchayat, Bondari and Kundekasa, under the Birsa development block, news agency PTI reported.The latest death was reported on Monday night, when a three-year-old girl died while undergoing treatment at the district hospital, taking the toll to seven, state health department officials said on Wednesday.One more child reportedly died from the illness on Monday, but officials were yet to confirm it.The deceased was identified as Priyanka, daughter of local villager Sukchand Dhurve. She was admitted to the district hospital on August 9 and died a day later.Civil surgeon Dr Nilay Jain confirmed the death and said the girl was suffering from multiple illnesses.Earlier, between June 26 and August 6, six children from Bondari and Kundekasa villages had died due to the unidentified disease, chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr Paresh Upallav said.The deceased have been identified as:Lamanin Dhurve, 13, Sahil Dhurve, 1, Pooja Dhurve, 1.9, Sachin Markam, 5, Preeti Markam, 4, and Arvind Dhurve, 4.Despite investigations by Dr Ravindra Vishnoi, assistant professor at Jabalpur Medical College, and a team of paediatricians and local medical staff, the exact cause of the illness remains unknown, PTI reporetd.Doctors have reported symptoms including anaemia, dehydration, kidney damage, cold, fever, eczema and fungal infection among affected children.The children have also developed unexplained rashes.Biological samples have been collected from patients and sent to a laboratory in Pune for analysis and identification of the pathogen behind the disease, officials said.The reports are still awaited.CMHO Upallav said that given the seriousness of the situation, a team from AIIMS, Delhi, is also visiting Balaghat.Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday wrote to chief minister Mohan Yadav, drawing his attention to the deaths of children in the tribal-dominated district.Expressing serious concern, he claimed that 11 children in the tribal block of Birsa in Balaghat had died in the past week due to contaminated water and infectious diseases.More than 100 children have been admitted to Balaghat District Hospital so far, of whom 40-50 are battling for life, the former chief minister said in the letter.Singh quoted tribal leader Shubham Uikey as saying that the children’s ward at the district hospital was overwhelmed with patients and that 11 children had died so far.Two children of Samaru Dhurve, a labourer in Bondari village, died from pneumonia, devastating the family. Similarly, five other children succumbed to high fever, Singh mentioned in the letter.He requested the CM to direct the state health minister and principal secretary to visit the affected villages along with medical experts and set up camps.Singh said tribal families, already struggling with poverty, were facing a grave health crisis.He demanded that the families of each deceased child be provided Rs 10 lakh in financial assistance from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.He also demanded that seriously ill children be airlifted to Nagpur, Raipur or Bhopal, with the state government bearing the entire cost of their treatment.(With agency inputs)
