Drug given to prevent malaria sends 52 Andhra villagers to hospital; girl, 7, dead, 23 more children moved to Telangana
A seven-year-old girl died and dozens of children were hospitalized in Andhra Pradesh after receiving chloroquine tablets during a malaria prevention camp. The state government has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.
Why it matters
The incident raises serious questions about medical safety protocols and the administration of preventive medication in rural health camps.
Twenty-three Koya children below the age of ten, who fell ill hours after they were given chloroquine tablets at a medical camp, were moved from the Lakshmipuram Primary Health Centre to the Bhadrachalam Area Hospital in neighbouring Telangana on Wednesday (September 2, 2026).
They were among 52 people, 47 of them children, who reported vomiting and severe breathing difficulty after taking the tablets at the camp at Gollaguppa village in Yetapaka mandal of Polavaram district on Tuesday. A seven-year-old girl, Madivi Jamuna, died that day. Chintoor ITDA Project Officer Subham Nokwal confirmed the girl’s death to The Hindu.
Doctors from the Lakshmipuram PHC had held the camp on Tuesday to prevent the spread of malaria in the village.
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