Disease outbreak in MP’s Balaghat kills 6 children, over 100 sick: Officials

Experts are now supervising treatment, with acute nutritional deficiencies also detected among children

Published on: Aug 11, 2026, 16:32:57 IST

By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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At least six children died and 101 others fell ill in four Baiga tribe-dominated villages of Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district in the past month, officials said on Tuesday.

“The children died of multiple infections. Blood samples have been sent to the ICMR-National Institute of Research in Bacterial Infections, Kolkata, and the ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune to ascertain the exact cause,” said Paresh Upalap, chief medical health officer (CMHO), Balaghat.

The district administration has set up temporary health camps in the affected villages.

Officials said children between the ages of one and 13 in Adori, Kundeksa, Bondari, and Korka villages were suffering from high fever, rashes, red spots, stomach ache, and ulcers since July. Six of them died, 47 are admitted to the hospital, while 54 are being treated at home.

“Initially, villagers relied on faith healing and rituals. When conditions worsened, they rushed to hospitals in Baihar and Balaghat. The delay in proper treatment cost lives,” said a doctor on condition of anonymity.

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Villagers, however, blame the delayed action of the health department. “Children were falling ill for weeks. In the absence of health facilities, six died. Only now has the health department started camps,” said Parasram Dhurve, head of Adori village.

A team from Jabalpur Medical College, led by epidemiologist Dr Ravindra Vishnoi is investigating the outbreak in the villages.

Experts are now supervising treatment, with acute nutritional deficiencies also detected among children. A report has been sent to the health department in Bhopal, the CMHO confirmed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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