What could have been a normal health check-up campaign in Polavaram district, Andhra Pradesh ended up becoming a tragedy when a 7-year old tribal girl died after being administered with chloroquine tablets and about 52 other people including 48 children admitted to hospital due to the same reason. The victim identified as Madivi Jamuna lost consciousness as soon as she developed a sudden decrease in her blood glucose levels.
Hospital admissions : About 54 patients had to be admitted to various health centers, out of which 53 got direct treatment and 17 had to be observed in a special camp. Official response : Polavaram District Collector K Dinesh Kumar confirmed the deaths along with monitoring efforts and indicated that all other patients affected remain stable under close medical monitoring. Even though it was stated that the medicine was given as per the state health protocols, the whole issue raised some serious forensic investigation regarding the safety of giving drugs to such vulnerable populations.
Narrow therapeutic index : It should be noted that medical experts indicate that the chloroquine drug has a narrow therapeutic index; hence, the gap between therapeutic dosage and cardiac complications can be small, especially when dealing with pediatric cases. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu organised an emergency discussion session to monitor emergency protocols and guarantee the best medical treatment for all surviving patients in hospitals.
