PNS|ANAKAPALLE
A serious public health emergency has gripped Neredu Bandha, a remote tribal village under Cheemalapadu panchayat of Ravikamatham mandal in Anakapalli district, following a dual outbreak of measles and malaria. Thirteen children have tested positive for measles, with one of them, Kilo Prabhas, currently undergoing treatment at Narsipatnam Area Hospital.
The unfolding crisis has been exacerbated by the village’s absence from official revenue records—a technical oversight that has effectively excluded it from the purview of routine healthcare services and government interventions. The lack of mosquito control measures, disease surveillance, and sanitation activities has created fertile ground for the outbreaks to spread unabated.
Twelve new cases of malaria have been reported in the past week, deepening fears of a wider epidemic. The absence of fogging operations and public health outreach has drawn sharp criticism from the local tribal community and health activists alike.
Particularly concerning are reports from adjacent tribal hamlets, home to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), where children have been running high fevers for the past three days. These settlements lack Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Anganwadi centres, leaving children deprived of basic health and nutrition services.
Compounding the crisis is the lack of educational infrastructure. Children from Neredu Bandha are compelled to walk over six kilometres each day to reach the nearest Zilla Parishad school in Jaggampeta.
K. Govinda Rao, District Executive Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a prominent tribal leader, has raised a strong voice against official apathy. “We will not remain silent while our children suffer. If the government does not respond, we will be forced to organise a symbolic protest to highlight our plight,” he warned.
