No new measles case has been reported in the past week in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district, where children have fallen ill with fever, rashes and symptoms linked to multiple infections, senior Health Ministry officials said. The Centre and State have stepped up measures and intensified surveillance in the region with a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) deployed to Balaghat on August 12, and ICMR teams involved in the ongoing investigation. The senior official said that 32,433 people have so far been medically examined, with surveillance expanded from three villages initially covered to around 50 villages.

The health crisis came to wider attention in August after reports of deaths among children in remote Baiga-dominated villages of Birsa and Baihar blocks. NDTV had reported on August 13 that eight children had died since June 26, with hundreds falling ill.

Health authorities at the time said the affected children were showing symptoms associated with multiple infections and nutritional deficiencies, rather than one clearly identifiable disease. Blood and water samples were sent to specialised laboratories, including ICMR and the National Institute of Virology, for further investigation.

The numbers have been disputed. A senior Health Ministry official said a case-wise and retrospective review is being conducted, including verbal autopsies and examination of available medical records.

According to the official, the available evidence points to several clinical circumstances, including measles, malaria, measles-malaria co-infection, respiratory distress, dehydration, malnutrition, anaemia and shock.

The government has therefore not attributed the deaths to a single pathogen.

Centre Deploys Outbreak Response Team

The Centre's intervention was stepped up after a national-level review on August 4 examined the epidemiological situation, reported mortality, measles and malaria findings, laboratory investigations, entomological assessments and containment measures.

The NJORT, deployed on August 12, includes public-health surveillance experts, officials from the Immunization Division and the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control, along with an independent ICMR investigation team.

Teams from ICMR Jabalpur and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur, have also been visiting affected areas and providing technical inputs to state authorities.

The investigation includes clinical and laboratory assessment, measles and malaria surveillance, review of deaths, entomological investigations and assessment of containment measures.

431 Children Admitted For Treatment

The expanded screening and referral network has resulted in 431 children being admitted to health facilities for treatment.

Of these, 379 have been treated and discharged, while 52 remain under treatment and observation, the senior official said.

More than 10 doctors and 10 Community Health Officers are working in the affected areas.

Six Mobile Medical Units have also been deployed in Birsa and Baihar blocks to provide healthcare directly in remote tribal and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) habitations.

The units are conducting fever screening, outpatient consultations, maternal and child health services, tuberculosis and non-communicable disease screening, primary diagnosis and distribution of medicines.

Over 14,000 Children Given Additional MR Vaccine

As part of outbreak-response immunisation, 14,637 children between one and 10 years of age have received an additional measles-rubella vaccine dose, irrespective of their previous vaccination status.

The government has also intensified preventive measures. More than 600 drinking-water sources have been purified, insecticide spraying has been completed in 4,338 households and fogging has been undertaken in affected and adjoining areas.

Malnutrition Adds To Health Concerns

The response has uncovered a significant burden of malnutrition and other childhood illnesses.

Screening has identified 7,711 children with severe acute malnutrition. Of these, 518 required admission to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres and have received institutional care.

Another 13,406 children with diarrhoea and 274 children with severe pneumonia have been identified and managed.

Under Dastak 2026, around 1.58 lakh children have been screened, with follow-up on Vitamin A supplementation and other child-health interventions.

Treatment Infrastructure Expanded

PHC Songudda and other treatment points have been strengthened with additional beds, medicines, medical officers, laboratory support, infection-prevention measures and isolation arrangements.

Temporary treatment facilities and health camps have also been established or strengthened in affected and high-risk areas, including Kundekasa.

A temporary hospital at Kundekasa is providing treatment as required, while referral and transport arrangements have been strengthened for patients requiring higher-level care.

No Single Cause Established Yet

The central question in the Balaghat crisis remains the cause of the deaths.

Early reports had described an unidentified illness involving fever, rashes and, in some cases, other severe symptoms. NDTV reported in August that health authorities were investigating multiple possible infections, with samples sent for advanced testing.

Other reports subsequently linked cases to measles, malaria and severe nutritional deficiencies. The government, however, has cautioned against drawing a single-cause conclusion.

Several early deaths occurred at home or before patients reached an appropriate healthcare facility, the senior Health Ministry official said. This has limited the availability of medical records and diagnostic samples in some cases.

The government has accordingly continued to review the deaths individually while simultaneously treating and containing identified health risks.

The latest indication of improvement is the absence of a new measles case in Balaghat for seven consecutive days. Officials, however, are continuing surveillance and medical intervention, particularly in remote tribal and PVTG habitations.

The response now involves surveillance, laboratory investigation, vaccination, malaria and measles control, nutrition interventions, vector control, safe-water measures and doorstep healthcare-while the investigation into the reported deaths continues.

Also Read: Why Millions Of People Around The World Will Contract Measles In 2026



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