Mystery Kidney Infection Claims Lives of Seven Children in Chhindwara

A four-year-old boy from Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh has died due to a suspected kidney infection while being treated at a hospital in Nagpur, Maharashtra, officials reported on Monday. This raises the toll to seven child deaths from the infection in the past 22 days.

The boy, identified as Vikas Yaduvanshi from Dighawani village, succumbed to the infection on Saturday at the Nagpur hospital, with his last rites carried out the following day in his native village. Most fatalities have occurred in the Tamia and nearby Koylanchal areas, prompting heightened health measures.

Local authorities, led by Chhindwara collector Shailendra Singh, have emphasized the provision of top-notch medical care and are preparing to use air ambulance services for critically ill children. Investigations are ongoing with teams from the Indian Council of Medical Research and the health department collecting and analyzing environmental samples, awaiting results from a Pune lab.

(With inputs from agencies.)