Jaipur: Two toddler cousins from Kunda village in Khajuria gram panchayat of Lasadiya block in Rajasthan’s Salumber district died within 24 hours of each other over Thursday and Friday, triggering alarm within the state health department and fear among villagers over a possible unidentified illness affecting children in the area.Six-year-old Asha, daughter of Teja Meena, died Thursday after suffering from vomiting and stomach pain. Her five-year-old cousin Rusha, daughter of Samiya Meena, died Friday morning after exhibiting similar symptoms.The two deceased girls were daughters of two brothers.The latest casualties have intensified concerns arising from the deaths of eight children earlier this month in Ghata village and nearby areas of Lasadiya block, around 30 km from Kunda. Health officials have so far failed to determine the cause behind these fatalities.Following the latest deaths in Kunda, the health department dispatched survey teams Friday to the village to examine vulnerable children and assess the overall situation. A post-mortem was carried out on the body of five-year-old Rusha to try to establish the cause of death. Asha had already been cremated Thursday before health department teams could conduct a post-mortem.Officials said this was the first time a post-mortem had been conducted in connection with the recent deaths of children in the area.“The earlier deaths could not be medically investigated in detail because no post-mortems were conducted,” said Mahendra Parmar, chief medical health officer of Salumber. “Today, we persuaded family members and local villagers to allow the procedure so that the cause of death can be scientifically determined. The post mortem was conducted after the family gave consent,” he added.Health officials said the two Kunda girls died at home and had not been taken to any govt hospital or primary health center for treatment. The lack of timely medical consultation may have limited the chances of diagnosis and intervention, they added.Kunda sarpanch Mohini Meena told TOI that the deaths have raised concerns among families in the village, where there are around 60 to 70 children under the age of five. “Health teams have surveyed the village and checked the condition of local children after the two deaths. The villagers cooperated with the health department teams in the survey,” she said.According to the sarpanch, the two girls appeared healthy and had shown no signs of fever or any prolonged illness before suddenly complaining of vomiting and stomach pain. She said they both died within minutes after vomiting, deepening fears of a fast-acting and unexplained condition.After the earlier deaths in Ghata village, the health department had launched a large-scale door-to-door survey across four blocks of Salumber district. The local administration had also sealed clinics reportedly run by quacks and unqualified practitioners who were treating children in tribal areas.
