Malnourished child dies in Sheopur; 40 in hospital

Bhopal: A severely malnourished child died in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday while a day later more than 40 malnourished children were admitted at the nutrition rehabilitation centre (NRC) of district hospital.
Five out of 17 persons who lost their lives in a cholera-affected village of the district last month were also malnourished. 18-month-old Chotu, son of Pappu, a Saharia tribal, died at Bhotupura village of Karhal block in Sheopur district.After the death, the district collector rushed to the village. In a rare admission, chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr RP Saral told TOI, "Chotu died of malnutrition while his elder sister, Preeti, 5, has been admitted to the NRC at the district hospital of Sheopur. After death of his wife, Pappu would go out for work, leaving the three children alone. Rukmani, 10, the eldest, would look after her siblings."
In a belated move, the district administration also swung into action and started looking for more malnourished children in and around Karhal. As many as 42 severely malnourished children have also been brought to the NRC from Golipura village of Vijaypur tehsil, about 150 km from the district headquarters, where 17 deaths were reported because of cholera last month. The CMHO said, "Of these 17 deaths reported between April and August this year, five children were severely malnourished." According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS4), 55% children in Sheopur are malnourished. It is one of the worst affected districts of the state along with Badwani.
According NFHS4, Madhya Pradesh stands second when it comes to malnourishment in the entire nation with Bihar topping the list. There are 42.8 % underweight children in the state as compared to 43.9 % in Bihar.
Off late there has been high prevalence of tuberculosis among malnourished population of Saharia tribals, one of the most particularly vulnerable tribal groups. Seasonal ailments like viral fever and diarrhoea have also been wreaking havoc on the tribal population.