Tragedy has struck Gollaguppa village in Andhra Pradesh after a preventive malaria tablet distribution left two children dead and dozens severely ill. Severe shortages of hospital beds and medical staff have forced desperate villagers to transport ailing children to neighboring Telangana for urgent treatment.
Two Children Die and Dozens Fall Ill in Alluri Sitharama Raju District Following Preventive Malaria Medication Drive
A devastating health crisis has unfolded in the remote village of Gollaguppa, located in the Etapaka Mandal of the Polavaram revenue division within Andhra Pradesh. What was intended as a routine preventive health measure against seasonal vector-borne diseases has turned into a tragedy, claiming the lives of two young tribal children and leaving dozens more critically ill.
The crisis began following the administration of Chloroquine tablets, distributed to local children as a prophylactic measure to prevent malaria. Shortly after consuming the medication, scores of children began experiencing severe adverse reactions, sending shockwaves through the local Adivasi community.
Rising Casualty Count Sparks Panic
The tragic sequence of events started late last week when a young girl, identified as Paddam Roja, succumbed to severe illness shortly after taking the prescribed malaria medication. Before the community could recover from the loss, a seven-year-old boy named Mudivi Jamuna passed away early today after his condition deteriorated rapidly.
The situation remains highly precarious in the village. Shortly after the boy's death, two additional children suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness. Local healthcare workers report that the condition of several Adivasi children remains extremely critical, raising fears that the death toll could rise further if intensive medical intervention is not provided immediately.
Desperate Transport to Neighboring State
As news of the medical emergency spread, health officials recorded that approximately 75 children in Gollaguppa village have taken severely ill, exhibiting symptoms of severe toxicity and distress. However, the local medical infrastructure has proven wholly inadequate to handle a disaster of this magnitude.
The primary healthcare center (PHC) at Laxmipuram, which serves Gollaguppa and neighboring hamlets, is currently facing acute operational challenges. The facility suffers from a severe shortage of qualified medical doctors and lacks the necessary bed capacity to accommodate the sudden influx of dozens of sick children.
Faced with inadequate facilities and a rapidly worsening situation, frantic parents and villagers were forced to improvise emergency transportation. Deprived of immediate ambulance services, local residents loaded suffering and unconscious children onto agricultural tractors to rush them across the state border to the Bhadrachalam Area Public Hospital in neighboring Telangana.
Protests and Demands for Urgent State Intervention
The consecutive deaths of young children and the widespread illness have cast a deep shadow of grief over Gollaguppa village, triggering intense anxiety and anger among the resident tribal families. The visible lack of emergency medical readiness in the region has further inflamed local tensions.
In response to the tragedy, several local Adivasi organizations have stepped forward to condemn the administrative lapses that led to the catastrophe. Community leaders are demanding immediate, high-level intervention from the Polavaram District Collector and state health authorities.
The tribal advocacy groups have called for an immediate emergency response team to be deployed to the affected region, complete with specialized pediatric care, essential medicines, and adequate ambulance services. They have also requested a thorough investigation into the quality, dosage, and administration protocols of the Chloroquine tablets distributed during the preventive drive to fix accountability for the lives lost. Local residents continue to wait anxiously outside the Bhadrachalam hospital as medical personnel work around the clock to stabilize the hospitalized children.