6 children die of kidney failure in MP's Chhindwara, authorities begin investigation

Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 1 (ANI): Six children have died in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district due to kidney-related complications between September 4 and September 26, an official said.
According to the families of the affected children, initially the children suffer from colds, coughs, and fevers. After that, their kidneys become affected, and their condition worsens.
The Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Naresh Gunnade said that authorities from the centre and the state were called to probe the reason behind causing kidney failures. They have collected the sample and sent it for examination whose report is yet to arrive.
Dr Gunnade told ANI, "The complaints of fever came to light among children in Parasia, Chhindwara from August 22 and later some deaths were reported. Three deaths of children occurred from September 4 to September 7 at a private hospital in Nagpur. During preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the children were admitted in a private hospital here and then shifted to Nagpur, they didn't visit Parasia government hospital."
"After the incident came to light, we set up a separate 10 bed ward at Parasia government hospital. Later, three more deaths of children occurred. So far six children died from September 4 to September 26 and the reason for the death is kidney failure. Though a team of National Centre for Control Disease (NCDC) and state-level Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) came to investigate the case. They collected human samples, water samples and other concerned samples and sent it for examination whose report is yet to arrive. Some reports of human samples have arrived but there is nothing serious in it," the CMHO said.
He further highlighted that similar cases from Betul, Seoni, Pandhurna were also reported. He stressed that it is not a disease but a matter of investigation. If it was a disease, it would have been controlled.
"We have also banned the use of some medicines which include cough syrups that have been found from the house of dead children and it is also sent for examination. We have asked to stop the sale of it till the lab report arrives," the CMHO said.
Currently, five children are referred to Government Medical College, Nagpur for their treatment, he added.
Meanwhile, the district collector Sheelendra Singh said that the administration is completely alert and the health department is working on the field to identify affected children and is treating them on the basis of their symptoms.
"A team of RRT (Renal Replacement Therapy) from Bhopal and experts to investigate combinations of medicine have also reached here. Along with this, specialists from Bhopal and Delhi are working along with district administration to investigate the matter," the collector said. (ANI)