Key facts
- At least 32 children have died since May in remote villages in India's Madhya Pradesh state.
- Most victims were from the Baiga tribal group, classified as a 'particularly vulnerable tribal group'.
- Officials cite measles and malaria as primary causes, exacerbated by malnutrition and delayed treatment.
- Some families delayed medical care due to traditional beliefs about disease goddesses.
- Access to healthcare is severely limited by the remote, forested terrain and poor infrastructure.
- Investigations found some samples tested positive for measles, while others were negative.
At least 32 children have died since May in a cluster of remote villages in Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh, India, with officials attributing the deaths to a combination of measles, malaria, malnutrition, and delayed treatment. The majority of the victims were from the Baiga community, one of India's particularly vulnerable tribal groups.
Symptoms reported among the children included high fever, angry red sores, convulsions, vomiting blood, rashes, weakness, and dehydration. In some cases, children suffered from multiple infections, including scabies and bacterial skin infections, alongside suspected measles and malaria.
Access to healthcare is a significant challenge in these remote, forested areas. The nearest state hospital is about 70km away, and reaching it can involve difficult journeys over muddy tracks, especially during the monsoon season. Many families lack vehicles or the financial means to travel, with daily wages for laborers like Mahasingh Parte being as low as 200 rupees ($2).
Some Baiga families also adhere to traditional beliefs, viewing certain illnesses as the arrival of a disease goddess that must be appeased through rituals rather than immediate medical treatment. This cultural practice, coupled with poverty and remoteness, contributed to delays in seeking professional medical help.
Local officials and health teams have been investigating the outbreak. In some instances, authorities had to forcibly intervene to take critically ill children to health centers, where they subsequently recovered. Investigations by the ICMR-National Institute for Tribal Health Research (NIRTH) tested samples from affected villages, with some testing positive for measles.