Komna: Children of tribal-dominated Kalimati village in the hilly base of Nuagaon panchayat under this block in Nuapada district have been afflicted by an unknown disease that stunts their physical and mental growth after birth. The ‘curse’ has affected 20 including children, elderly men and women.
The village is situated 15 km away from Komna block office with over 1,500 tribals residing in it. Mostly illiterate, the tribals depend on agriculture to eke out a living. They also depend on forest produce throughout the year while those with no farm of their own work as daily workers.
Everything was fine until the village was gripped by the unknown disease a few years back. The disease is mostly seen in newborns and elderly persons. The newborns become handicapped from an early age while elderly persons are left crippled.
Elderly people are paralysed with their bones getting stiff. Among the victims are Chandini Naik (4) who is visually-challenged, Naikesi Hati (13) and his brother Narayan Hati (10), who are mentally-challenged.
Similarly, Thabir Majhi (13), Basanti Hati (15), Gomati Hati (36), Nandabala Hati (35), Parbati Hati (22) are deaf and dumb, Golapi Hati (26) and her brother Pitambar Hati (24), Krushna Hati (30), Jagannath Hati (60) are physically-handicapped.
Kousalya Hati (11) and Dhanaphula Hati (40) are mentally-challenged. They are helpless waiting for their death in the absence of assistance from the government.
Locals, most of whom are poor, try their treatment by borrowing money from the rich. Some families have even mortgaged their properties while many have sold their houses and land to bear the expenditure of the treatment but to no avail. Locals claimed that they tried treatment in the local hospital, district headquarters hospital and even in VSS Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR). However, the disease is yet to be known.
Failing to get proper treatment, many families take care of the affected persons at their homes. Fearing that the affected conditions might worsen, they fail to go out for work leaving them behind at home. Someone in the family is bound to stay back to take care of the affected. Failing to go for work, many families are forced to sleep without meals.
Narahari Naik and his wife Golapi of the village became parents to a baby girl.
Shockingly, the girl was born with handicapped legs. Narahari took the girl to the district headquarters hospital for treatment, only to be turned away by the doctors. The doctors in the DHH claimed that the disease could be treated only in bigger hospitals.
Similarly, Brundabati Hati’s daughter Naikesi and son Narayan were born mentally-challenged.
Brundabati keeps crying, failing to arrange the treatment. The same holds true for Raghunath Hati whose daughter Golapi and son Pitambar are mentally and physically challenged. Many families in the village are facing the same problem.
Meanwhile, the locals claimed that they were deprived of handicapped and elderly pensions. They demanded that the administration study the disease and take preventive steps. They demanded assistance from the government for the treatment of the affected.
When contacted, Komna CHC office Priti Prabha said she would hold discussions with senior officials to send a medical team to the village to study the disease. PNN
