9-year-old girl dies of measles in Ratlam village

Indore: A wave of panic gripped tribal region of Ratlam district after a nine-year-old girl from Dethla village died of measles. While the child had died on March 12, her lab reports received on Monday found her positive for measles, prompting an emergency door-to-door survey by health teams on Tuesday.The deceased was identified as Kavita (reported as Monika in official records), daughter of Prakash Maida. According to health officials, the girl was suffering from fever for nearly 20 days. During this period, her parents migrated to Jaisalmer, for labour work, leaving her in the care of her grandmother.The girl was initially treated by a local Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) and later examined at Rawti Health Centre on March 11, where samples were collected. When her condition failed to improve, family members rushed her to Government Medical College in Ratlam on March 12. She was declared dead on arrival.After her test report came positive for measles, the acting chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr AP Singh issued show-cause notices to Block Medical Officer Dr Jitendra Jaiswal and Contractual Medical Officer Dr Deepak Mehta for potential negligence in monitoring the child's deteriorating health.The outbreak has raised serious questions about efficacy of immunisation drive in the region. While health department claims the area was covered under a 12-village vaccination circuit, the resurgence of measles points towards a deeper crisis.Sources said that in many tribal pockets, measles is often mistaken for a ‘divine visitation' Families frequently avoid medical intervention in favour of traditional rituals, delaying life-saving treatment. Despite the child showing symptoms 10 days prior to her death, the local health team allegedly failed to provide the necessary follow-up care.According to CMHO, the situation is currently ‘under control', and a district-level team, including officials from WHO, has visited Dethla village to consult with the bereaved family. A high-level meeting of all Block Medical Officers is scheduled for Wednesday to draft a localised action plan to combat the spread and address vaccine hesitancy.