Indore (Madhya Pradesh): District administration and health department officials remained on their toes throughout the day on Tuesday as the number of inmates falling sick at the Bal Ashram increased continuously from 8 am to 10 pm.
The health department team which declared the inmates healthy after the initial check-up created confusion among the officials but the death of another inmate at 2 pm left them shocked and surprised.
The chief medical and health officer Dr BS Saitya had declared the inmates fine earlier in the day but the death of Chhota Govind (5), exposed the reality after which the team of doctors of MGM Medical College led by dean Dr Sanjay Dixit reached the Ashram along with collector Asheesh Singh.
The administrative officials remained at the Ashram till late evening and ensured the check-up of all the kids and directed the doctors to send those sick to the hospital.
Initially, 12 inmates were sent to the hospital but the number increased to 32 by Tuesday night.
According to the superintendent of Chacha Nehru Hospital Dr Preeti Malpani, they were suffering from vomiting and acute dehydration. 'It seems to be a case of food poisoning,' she said.
Ashram director kept officials in dark
Ashram director Anita Sharma kept the administrative officials in the dark by not informing them about the death of two inmates on Monday. She informed the collector about the same only after he reached Chacha Nehru Hospital.
Anita Sharma was also seen laughing with the SDM during the probe. A video of this incident has gone viral.
Medical College team checks inmates
A team of doctors including Dr VP Goswami, Dr Sunil Arya, Dr Ashok Yadav and Dean Dr Sanjay Dixit reached the Ashram to check rest of the children. The officials, including the collector, SDM, team of WCD, Ashram director and in charge, as well as police officials didnít allow anyone to go to the second floor of the Ashram.
'Prima facie, kids are suffering from food poisoning'
Superintendent of Chacha Nehru Hospital Dr Preeti Malpani said that kids have been admitted with complaints of vomiting, nausea, and diarrhoea. 'All the kids admitted to the hospital are suffering from the symptoms of food poisoning. It seems that they might have eaten or drunk something due to which they got sick,' she said.
The hospital superintendent said that some six to eight kids are in the ICU while others are in the wards but all are under observation.
'Initially, 12 kids were admitted to the hospital but the number increased in the day. One was brought dead while four to five were critical but we managed to make them stable. All the patients are undergoing treatment,' Dr Malpani said.
Food samples collected
Senior food safety officer Manish Swami said, ìOn the directions of collector Asheesh Singh, we have collected the sample of food and water. Samples of water were taken from each floor.î Officials said that samples of dal, rice, flour, and water were taken and sent to Bhopal for testing.
Inmates curious to see new faces
The children at the ashram were screaming with pale faces, as no one had any idea about what was happening. Seeing so many people together was new for them. The caretakers were trying to comfort them.
Epilepsy fits can lead to death if..
'Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) might be the reason for death during epilepsy fits. If the patient is getting continuous fits at regular intervals, it must be taken care of immediately. Aspiration might also be the reason when a patient gets something stuck in the esophagus at the time of seizures.' --- Dr Archana Verma, Neurologist
Epilepsy is common in specially abled kids
'Specially abled kids are prone to epilepsy. Aspiration is one of the causes of death as the patient gets a seizure while taking food. These kids require extra care and attention.' --- Dr Tarun Gupta, Paediatrician
Short PM report
Postmortems of two of the five children were conducted at the district hospital by Malharganj police on Sunday and Tuesday respectively. The short postmortem reports of both children Shubh and Akash revealed that they had been diagnosed with severe anaemia and were quite thin.
"Both the children neither had any visible disease nor external injury marks. They were diagnosed with severe anaemia and were quite thin. Nothing except some kind of fluid was found in their abdomens. We have kept the necessary samples for further testing to determine the exact cause of death. It is possible that they might have had a disease caused by oxygen deficiency in their early childhood,î said Bharat Bajpayee, a forensic expert who conducted both postmortems.
