Nine children who fell ill after chloroquine drive in Andhra’s Polavaram test positive for malaria

Nine children, aged under 10, who were among 52 villagers affected after receiving Chloroquine tablets in Gollaguppa village of Polavaram district, have been diagnosed with malaria. These children exhibited no initial symptoms of the disease and are currently under observation at Bhadrachalam Area Hospital in Telangana. The 52 villagers, 47 of whom were children, were admitted to nearby hospitals after experiencing fever and vomiting hours after the tablet administration during a health drive organized by the Medical and Health Department on Tuesday.

According to Subham Nokwal, Chintoor ITDA Project Officer, the health condition of the remaining villagers is stable, with 32 individuals having been discharged from Bhadrachalam Area Hospital on Wednesday. Gollaguppa, home to 275 Muria tribals known as Gutti Koya, is located in Andhra Pradesh's deep forest cover without road access.

The villagers were shifted to nearby hospitals on August 1 as a precautionary measure due to their remote location. A state-level team comprising expert doctors from East Godavari, Kakinada, and other districts was dispatched to Gollaguppa to investigate the health profile of the affected villagers, ascertaining the factors contributing to their illness.

The Chloroquine tablets administered to the villagers on August 1 have been sent to Visakhapatnam for testing, and their expiration date is 2028. The dose given to the villagers adhered to medical protocol. Subham Nokwal also explained that Madivi Jamuna's death, occurring hours after she was administered the tablet, may have been triggered by a pre-existing cardiac arrest in her family along with the tablet and food consumed on that day. The case is currently under study by experts.