{
  "id": 735846,
  "title": "Faith healing poses challenge to authorities as outbreak kills seven tribal children in Madhya Pradesh",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/faith-healing-poses-challenge-to-authorities-as-outbreak-kills-seven-735846",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-13T04:58:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu Health",
    "slug": "the-hindu-health",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/madhya-pradesh/faith-healing-poses-challenge-to-authorities-as-outbreak-kills-seven-tribal-children-in-madhya-pradesh/article71337123.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Seven children have died and around 100 have fallen ill in villages of the Baiga tribe in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district due to an outbreak of monsoon-related diseases, according to officials. The outbreak has been ongoing for about 45 days, primarily affecting children aged between one and 13 years. Symptoms include high fever, stomach infections, and rashes on their bodies. The affected villages are Bondari, Adori, Machhurda, Korka, and Kundekasa, located in Baihar tehsil, approximately 85 kilometers from the district hospital.\n\nAs of now, 24 children are undergoing treatment at district and civil hospitals, while 76 have recovered. The administration became aware of the issue only after three children had already succumbed to the disease. To tackle the outbreak, authorities have set up special health camps in the villages, conducting door-to-door screenings and deploying medical teams to assess the situation. Blood samples have been collected and sent to the ICMR-National Institute of Research in Bacterial Infections in Kolkata and the ICMR-National Institute of Virology in Pune for further investigation.\n\nThe Baiga community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), relies heavily on ritualistic healing practices, often opting for faith healing over modern medicine. The remote location and lack of accessibility in the five villages, scattered on different hills in dense forests, pose significant challenges in tracing the affected children and convincing their families to accept treatment. Many families have refused medical help, citing their trust in faith healers.\n\nBalaghat Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Paresh Uplap stated that multiple meetings have been held with village heads and local people to persuade them to seek medical treatment. ANM and ASHA workers are conducting surveys in hostels and schools to monitor the situation. Despite these efforts, some families continue to prefer faith healing practices, such as animal sacrifice, to combat the outbreak.",
  "summary": "The Baiga community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), is known for its ancient practices and rituals, with members of the group often opting for faith healing over modern medicine",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu - Sci-Tech",
        "title": "Faith healing poses challenge to authorities as outbreak kills seven tribal children in Madhya Pradesh",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/faith-healing-poses-challenge-to-authorities-as-outbreak-kills-seven",
        "published": "2026-08-13T04:58:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}