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Health
7‑year‑old girl dies after taking antimalarial tablet in Andhra village
✍️ Hindustan Times
🗓 02 Sep 2026, 01:40 PM
👁 129
A seven‑year‑old girl in an Andhra Pradesh village died after ingesting an antimalarial tablet, with doctors suspecting chloroquine‑induced cardiac arrhythmia in a pre‑existing condition.
A seven‑year‑old girl from a remote village in Andhra Pradesh died on Tuesday after consuming an antimalarial tablet, officials said. Local health workers reported that the child had taken the medication, which is commonly used for malaria prophylaxis, without medical supervision.
Doctors who examined the case suspect that the chloroquine present in the tablet may have triggered a fatal cardiac arrhythmia, especially given the girl's undisclosed pre‑existing health condition. The exact nature of the underlying condition has not been disclosed, but medical experts warned that chloroquine can affect heart rhythm in vulnerable patients.
The village health centre has launched an inquiry into how the tablet reached the child and is urging families to store medicines out of reach of children. State health authorities have been alerted and are reviewing safety protocols for the distribution of antimalarial drugs in rural areas.
The incident has sparked calls for stricter monitoring of over‑the‑counter drug sales and better community awareness about the risks of unsupervised medication use.
Doctors who examined the case suspect that the chloroquine present in the tablet may have triggered a fatal cardiac arrhythmia, especially given the girl's undisclosed pre‑existing health condition. The exact nature of the underlying condition has not been disclosed, but medical experts warned that chloroquine can affect heart rhythm in vulnerable patients.
The village health centre has launched an inquiry into how the tablet reached the child and is urging families to store medicines out of reach of children. State health authorities have been alerted and are reviewing safety protocols for the distribution of antimalarial drugs in rural areas.
The incident has sparked calls for stricter monitoring of over‑the‑counter drug sales and better community awareness about the risks of unsupervised medication use.