Nine children who fell ill after chloroquine drive in Andhra’s Polavaram test positive for malaria

Polavaram District Collector K. Dinesh Kumar interacting with the children undergoing treatment at the Bhadrachalam Area Hospital on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement At least nine children below the age of 10, who were among the 52 villagers who had taken ill after being administered ‘Chloroquine’ tablet at Gollaguppa village of Polavaram district on Tuesday, were diagnosed of malaria on Wednesday.The nine children showed no symptoms of malaria and were recommended to be under observation of doctors at the Bhadrachalam Area Hospital in Telangana.The 52 villagers, 47 of them children, were admitted to the hospitals nearby after they complained of fever and vomiting hours after being administered the tablet during a health drive conducted in the village by the Medical and Health Department on Tuesday.“The health condition of the remaining is stable, and 32 persons have been discharged from Bhadrachalam Area Hospital on Wednesday,” Chintoor ITDA Project Officer Subham Nokwal told The Hindu.Gollaguppa has a population of 275 Muria tribals, known as Gutti Koya in Andhra Pradesh. They had migrated from Chhattisgarh prior to 2009 during Operation Green Hunt.We had to shift the 52 villagers to the nearby hospitals as a precautionary measure on August 1 as the village was situated in the deep forest cover, without access to road facility, said Mr. Subham Nokwal.Meanwhile, a State-level team, comprising expert doctors from the districts of East Godavari, Kakinada, East Godavari, rushed to Gollaguppa to survey the health profile of the villagers, ascertaining the factors that led to the illness among the villagers.“The batch of Chloroquine tablet administered to the villagers on August 1 has been sent to Visakhapatnam for testing. The batch of tablets expires in 2028. The dose administered to the villagers also met the medical protocol,” said Mr. Subham Nokwal.On the factors that led to the death of Madivi Jamuna hours after she was administered the tablet, Mr. Nokwal said, “The girl’s family has a history of cardiac arrest. The tablet and food that she consumed on that day together might have triggered a cardiac arrest. However, the case is being studied by experts.” Published - September 03, 2026 01:48 pm IST