A seven-year-old girl died and 53 others fell ill after being administered chloroquine tablets during a malaria prevention programme at Gollaguppa village in Yetapaka mandal of Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram district, officials aware of the matter said.
The incident took place on Tuesday around 5 pm after health officials conducted fever surveillance and a medical camp in the village in the morning, where a high number of malaria cases had reportedly been detected.
Polavaram district collector K Dinesh Kumar said, “Chloroquine tablets were distributed to 71 people, including some schoolchildren, who had symptoms of Malaria, according to the prescribed age-specific dosage.”
Deep Dive
What led to the illness and death of the 7-year-old girl after taking chloroquine tablets?
Why were chloroquine tablets administered to individuals in Gollaguppa village?
How are health officials responding to the complications experienced by patients after taking chloroquine?
One of the students, Madivi Jamuna (7), reportedly took three tablets, he said. “After returning home on Tuesday evening, she developed vomiting and later became unconscious. She was taken to Lakshmipuram hospital and subsequently shifted to Bhadrachalam Area Hospital in Telangana for better treatment, where doctors declared her dead,” Kumar added.
“Out of 71 people, 53 from Gollaguppa village developed complications after taking the tablet and were brought to Bhadrachalam hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, another 17 people in the village showing malaria symptoms were being monitored through a special medical camp,” the collector said.
The 53 patients included 48 children and five adults. All were in stable condition and none was in a critical condition, Kumar said. “Seven of the admitted patients tested positive for malaria and they would be kept under medical observation for another 24 hours,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The 53 patients included 48 children and five adults. All were in stable condition and none was in a critical condition, Kumar said. “Seven of the admitted patients tested positive for malaria and they would be kept under medical observation for another 24 hours,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Bhadrachalam Area Hospital superintendent Dr Rajasekhar said, “Out of 53 patients, four children complained of nausea and vomiting. Taking chloroquine caused some of them to experience vomiting, nausea, and stomach discomfort. The seven-year-old girl was declared dead upon arrival at our hospital. Further diagnosis and establishment require sending samples to a forensic lab. Once those results arrive, we can conclude and establish the exact cause of death.”
Preliminary medical assessment suggested Jamuna might have had an underlying hereditary or familial cardiac condition. “Doctors suspected that chloroquine could have triggered cardiac arrhythmia in a person with such a pre-existing condition, although a definitive clinical conclusion is still awaited,” Kumar said.
“Doctors are examining the possibility of a genetic cardiac disorder after learning that two other children from Jamuna’s family, both below one year of age, had earlier died from unidentified causes,” the collector said, adding that “her medical examination and post-mortem were under way, with the exact cause of death to be established after reports are received.”
The collector said the tablets had been administered strictly according to the health department’s malaria-control protocol and quality-control tests conducted on the medicines on Tuesday had produced satisfactory results.
“To establish whether there was any issue with the particular medicine used during the camp, the batch of chloroquine tablets has been sent to the Visakhapatnam forensic laboratory for further testing,” he said.
Some patients developed vomiting after taking the tablets. Doctors told the collector that vomiting was a known and relatively common side effect of chloroquine and that the symptoms in most patients were not indicative of a serious reaction.
Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the incident with senior officials on Tuesday night and directed them to take all necessary medical and relief measures. The government has also arranged food for affected patients and their attendants.
The collector appealed to residents not to panic, saying the government was closely monitoring the situation and had deployed specialised teams for treatment and continued health surveillance.
“Three specialised Rapid Response medical teams from Kakinada, Rajamahendravaram and Vijayawada have reached Bhadrachalam to assist with treatment and monitoring,” he said. The collector also visited the hospital on Wednesday and reviewed the patients’ condition.
The government is preparing a health profile of around 270 residents of Gollaguppa. Medical teams are conducting blood tests and screening residents for sickle-cell anaemia, other health disorders and co-morbidities, he said.