Eight children in Odisha’s Malkangiri hospitalised after eating toxic fruits

The chief district medical officer of Malkangiri said the children may have eaten the fruits because they taste sweet.

Published on: Feb 3, 2021, 21:33:44 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Eight children, six of them girls, had to be hospitalised in Malkangiri Wednesday evening after eating the fruits of Jatropha plant that are normally cultivated for bio-diesel, officials said.

Children at an anganwadi centre (Representational Photo: Unicef)

Eight children in the age group of 2-5 years who were at an anganwadi centre had eaten the fruits of Jatropha plant, locally known as Baigaba. The anganwadi centre serves about 40 children from four villages

"The kids who attended the anganwadi centre in Munaskunda village under Sindhrimal grampanchayat in the district had reportedly eaten the fruits of the Jatropha tree out of curiosity. Soon after they complained of vomiting and pain in their abdomen. They were admitted to the district headquarters hospital in Malkangiri and are now out of danger," said Prafulla Nanda, chief district medical officer of Malkangiri.

Nanda said the children may have eaten the seeds as they taste sweet. "All the children who experienced vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and burning sensation in the throat were given IV fluids. There is nothing to worry about," he said.

Anganwadi centres in Odisha re-opened on Tuesday after remaining closed for more than 10 months.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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