By Shalini Bhardwaj
Gollaguppa (Andhra Pradesh) [India], September 2 : Senior officials of the Andhra Pradesh Health Department are closely monitoring the situation in Gollaguppa village in Polavaram district following the death of a seven-year-old girl after an unexpected clinical deterioration during a malaria prevention and fever surveillance exercise.
According to senior Health Department officials, health teams conducted fever surveillance, Rapid Diagnostic Testing (RDT), a medical camp and school-based screening in the village on September 1 as part of ongoing malaria prevention and surveillance measures.
A total of 74 people were screened during the exercise. Of them, three were identified with fever and were started on curative anti-malarial treatment.
Following the screening, 71 individuals were administered 300 mg of chloroquine after food as chemoprophylaxis, in accordance with the preventive protocol. Pregnant and lactating women were excluded from the administration, officials said.
The health teams remained in the village for observation following administration of the medication.
Officials said that approximately two-and-a-half hours after receiving chloroquine, a seven-year-old girl developed an unexpected clinical deterioration. She was subsequently taken to PHC Lakshmipuram in a semiconscious and irritable state, where resuscitation measures were initiated.
She was later referred to Area Hospital, Bhadrachalam, where she was declared brought dead.
The Health Department officials stressed that the temporal association between administration of chloroquine and the clinical event does not, by itself, establish a causal relationship.
The exact cause of death is being investigated through detailed clinical, laboratory and specialist assessments. A possible adverse drug reaction is among the aspects being examined, along with the possibility of an underlying medical condition.
Following the incident, comprehensive medical surveillance has been initiated in Gollaguppa. Specialist doctors, including paediatricians, are conducting clinical assessments of individuals who received the medication, with particular attention being given to any underlying or subclinical conditions requiring further investigation or referral.
A Specialist Rapid Response Team comprising experts in Paediatrics and General Medicine has been deployed from Government General Hospital, Kakinada.
Additional specialist teams from Government General Hospital, Rajamahendravaram and Paderu Medical College, along with experts from the State Disease Control Programme, are assisting in the assessment.
All individuals who received chemoprophylaxis are being monitored and provided medical care wherever required.
According to the latest field assessment, those undergoing treatment are stable or under medical management, with continued surveillance being maintained in the village.
The Health Department has also collected details of the drug administered during the activity, and the relevant batch is being examined as part of the investigation.
Officials said the drug was manufactured in India by Unicure India Ltd and bears Batch No. CQT1401. The manufacturing date is April 2026 and the expiry date is March 2028.
The batch had undergone quality testing during procurement by the Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC). The test report dated July 15, 2026, recorded the sample as meeting "STANDARD QUALITY" requirements. The report was issued by an NABL-accredited laboratory.
Officials, however, clarified that the quality-testing report does not by itself determine the cause of the present clinical events.
The drug, its administration, the clinical circumstances and all relevant medical findings are being examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
The expert team is examining the complete clinical sequence, including the interval between administration of the medication and onset of symptoms, the dose and formulation administered, the route and circumstances of administration, and the clinical and resuscitation records.
Investigators are also examining the possibility of a drug-related adverse event as well as potential underlying cardiac, neurological, metabolic, infectious or other medical conditions.
Relevant laboratory, toxicological, pathological and cardiac investigations will be undertaken wherever indicated, officials said.
The health authorities are also monitoring the clinical status of all other individuals who received chemoprophylaxis to determine whether there has been any clustering of similar adverse events.
Senior Health Department officials said the situation is being closely monitored and all necessary medical and investigative measures have been put in place.
They emphasised that the exact cause of the girl's death will be established only after completion of the ongoing clinical and scientific investigation.