Digvijaya Singh Raises Alarm Over Skin Disease Outbreak in Betul, Seeks Action
Digvijaya Singh raised concern over rising skin ailments among children in Betul, allegedly due to contaminated water, and sought urgent action.
Veteran Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on Friday expressed concern over the rising cases of skin ailments among children, allegedly due to contaminated water in Betul district, and sought immediate intervention from the authorities.
According to available information, an outbreak of skin diseases, particularly itching (scabies), has been reported among children in Danvakheda village in the Ghodadongri block of Betul district. At least 20 children have been affected, suffering from itching, cold, cough, fever, and other common ailments, prompting the district administration to organise a medical camp.
Reacting to the incident, Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh expressed anguish, stating that innocent children had fallen ill due to contaminated water. He claimed that a similar outbreak had occurred nearly six months ago, which allegedly led to the deaths of some children, but no adequate preventive measures were taken by the authorities.
“It is extremely unfortunate that children had died from this very same issue just a few months ago; however, the administration failed to demonstrate the requisite sensitivity and promptness,” Singh said in a statement. He further alleged that although the outbreak was noticed nearly a week ago, there has been little improvement, despite villagers raising concerns through protests and complaints.
Singh demanded immediate intervention from the state government and district administration, stressing that providing clean drinking water is a primary responsibility of the government and that any negligence is unacceptable. He also called for urgent arrangements for safe drinking water, inspection and rectification of contamination sources, adequate medical care for affected children, and strict action against those responsible.
Meanwhile, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Manoj Hurmade said the issue came to light on March 15, after which a medical team was sent to the village to provide necessary treatment to those affected.
With Inputs From IANS
Khushi Chittoria joined Medical Dialogues in 2025 as a Media and Editorial Intern. She holds a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from IP University and has completed certifications in content writing. She has a strong interest in anchoring, content writing, and editing. At Medical Dialogues, Khushi works in the editorial department, web stories and anchoring.