Kerala: Infant malnutrition death comes back to haunt tribal belt, toll 7 now

The death of infants continues to stalk the tribal settlements in Kerala. Two more tribal infants died of alleged low birth weight, on Friday. 
 

The newborn of Vaidehi, a native of Puthukkudi tribal settlement, in Idamalakkudi in Idukki, died on the way to Kottayam Medical College. Vaidehi had delivered the child at the hamlet on Thursday. The condition of Vaidehi deteriorated by evening. Though Forest, Health and Police personnel tried to save the mother and child and took them to medical college hospital, the child died on the way. Health officials said the infant weighed only one-and-a-half kilogram and died due to lack of medical care soon after birth. 
 

The mother is admitted to Kottayam Medical College Hospital with massive vaginal bleeding. 
 

In another incident, a ten-day-old infant died at a tribal settlement in Attappadi on Friday. The child died of low birth weight, health officials said. 
 

The boy weighed only 1.14 kilogram at birth and was undergoing treatment at Thrissur Medical College. Mari, the wife of Manikandan, natives of Sholayar, one of the largest tribal settlements in Kerala, delivered the child at Kottathara Super-specialty hospital in Palakkad on October 31. The child and mother were shifted to Thrissur Medical College after the health condition of infant worsened. 
 

With the death of the infant death toll of tribals infants in tribal settlements of Attappadi rose to seven. 

• infant death
• tribal child death
• Attappadi child death