7-Year-Old Girl Dies, 53 Fall Ill After Chloroquine Tablets in Andhra’s Gollaguppa; CM Orders Probe Into Incident

A seven-year-old girl died and 53 people reportedly fell ill after 71 people were administered chloroquine tablets during a malaria-prevention drive in Gollaguppa on 1st September, 2026. Following the incident at the tribal village in Andhra Pradesh's Polavaram Agency area, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has ordered a state-level investigation into the matter. Of those who fell ill, 29 were undergoing treatment at Bhadrachalam Area Hospital in neighbouring Telangana and 24 at the Lakshmipuram Primary Health Centre (PHC), according to officials.

What Happened in the Gollaguppa Chloroquine Incident?

In view of malaria cases reported in Gollaguppa, villagers were screened during a fever-surveillance and medical camp at the local Primary Health Centre (PHC). The Indian Express reported that two villagers had tested positive for malaria, following which officials conducted the drive. Chloroquine tablets were distributed to 71 people. Madivi Jamuna, a seven-year-old Class II student, developed vomiting and abdominal pain, and was taken to the hospital where she was declared ‘dead on arrival’. Soon, many children began experiencing similar symptoms and were shifted to the PHC at Lakshmipuram. They were later shifted to the area hospital at Bhadrachalam for further management.

What Caused the Tribal Girl's Death?

According to SouthFirst, the District Collector informed that the treating doctors suspected an underlying heart condition as the cause of the girl's death. The family's medical history, including the death of Jamuna’s two siblings under the age of one, triggered the suspicion reportedly.

Another report attributed her collapse to a sudden drop in her blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia). Notably, both cardiac arrhythmia due to underlying cardiac conditions and severe hypoglycemia have been reported as rare but severe side effects of chloroquine, though the exact cause of death remains under investigation.

MedBound Times connected with Dr. Prathyusha Kadiyala, Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, ACS Medical College and Hospital for her insights on the Gollaguppa Chloroquine Tablets incident:

How Did Officials Respond to the Gollaguppa Incident?

According to SouthFirst, Collector Dinesh said that a nine-member medical team from Kakinada Government General Hospital along with three more special teams from Kakinada, Vijayawada and Rajamahendravaram were deployed to the area. Officials who visited the site reportedly informed the CM that the patients were stable and under continuous monitoring. Officials also denied reports of a second death.

Expert View: What Should the Investigation Look For?

Dr. Prathyusha Kadiyala, Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, ACS Medical College and Hospital, cautioned "association is not the same as causation. The temporal relationship between taking chloroquine and the subsequent illness is concerning, but it would be premature to conclude that the drug itself, the particular batch, or the dose was definitively responsible for the child’s death."

Dr. Prathyusha explained "The ongoing investigation, laboratory testing of the drug batch, clinical records, toxicological evaluation and assessment of other possible causes are essential before assigning causality. At the same time, the clustering of adverse events following a mass drug-administration activity cannot be dismissed. When multiple people develop symptoms after a common exposure, it warrants a systematic pharmacovigilance and outbreak investigation."

What Are the Side Effects of Chloroquine in Children and Adults?

At standard doses, chloroquine commonly causes the following side effects in both children and adults:

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Headache

• Dizziness

Long term use of chloroquine has been associated with a risk of retinal damage.¹

The potential for severe adverse effects is partly due to chloroquine’s narrow therapeutic index, meaning that the difference between a safe dose and a toxic dose is small. In overdose situations or when used inappropriately, chloroquine can cause serious toxicity, including cardiac rhythm disturbances, cardiovascular collapse, seizures, coma and death. As a result, even small dosing changes or individual variations in how the drug is processed by the body can increase the risk of serious side effects. This margin may be narrower for a child. ²

Accurate dosing is therefore particularly important.

See also: India’s First Indigenous Multi-Stage Malaria Vaccine - AdFalciVax

When Is Chloroquine Used to Prevent and Treat Malaria?

Chloroquine remains an approved drug for prophylaxis (prevention) and treatment of malaria caused by chloroquine-sensitive malarial parasites.¹ But its use depends on the malaria parasite involved and local drug-resistance patterns.

Due to the emergence of chloroquine-resistant strains, chloroquine has been replaced by alternatives in endemic regions and travellers. Currently, it is still used in places where sensitive strains persist.

In India, community-level prevention and treatment drives, such as in Gollaguppa, where villagers are screened and treatment is provided, remain a standard public health tool to control the disease.³

What Should be the Next Steps to Avoid Chloroquine Death-like Tragedies?

Dr. Prathyusha explains that rom a public-health perspective, the following safeguards are critical to investigate and prevent such tragedies:

1. Correct drug and correct indication: Every mass drug-administration activity must begin with a clear epidemiological indication

2. Correct dose for every individual: Children are not simply “small adults.” Drug administration must account for age and, where applicable, body weight. Number of tablets actually consumed should all be documented.

3. Administration needs supervision—not merely distribution: trained personnel, clear instructions, observation where appropriate, documentation of recipients, identification of vulnerable individuals and a mechanism for immediate referral when adverse effects occur.

4. Pharmacovigilance must be built into public-health programmes: Every mass treatment programme should have a mechanism for detecting, reporting, investigating and responding to adverse drug reactions.

5. Preparedness for the rare but serious adverse event: programmes administering such medicines must have a clear emergency-response pathway and healthcare facilities capable of managing serious adverse reactions.

6. ⁠Investigate the entire system, not just the tablet: The investigation should examine the complete chain: procurement → batch quality → storage → dispensing → dose calculation → eligibility → administration → documentation → clinical monitoring → referral and emergency management.

Conclusion - Is Chloroquine Safe?

If used correctly and at recommended doses, chloroquine is shown to be safe and effective in both children and adults. It remains on the WHO’s list of essential medicines for eligible regions for prevention and control of malaria. 

The adverse events reported in Gollaguppa are not commonly associated with routine administration of chloroquine. While the exact cause of the incident is still under investigation, it may point towards factors such as screening for underlying health conditions, dosing or monitoring of patients rather than a safety concern with the drug.

References

1. Goel, Pranshul, and Valerie Gerriets. "Chloroquine." In StatPearls. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551512/.

2. Kelly, James C., Gary S. Wasserman, Walter D. Bernard, Christopher Schultz, and Jane F. Knapp. "Chloroquine Poisoning in a Child." Annals of Emergency Medicine 19, no. 1 (1990): 47–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0196-0644(05)82141-9.

3. Das, L. K., P. Jambulingam, and C. Sadanandane. "Impact of Community-Based Presumptive Chloroquine Treatment of Fever Cases on Malaria Morbidity and Mortality in a Tribal Area in Orissa State, India." Malaria Journal 7 (2008): 75. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-7-75.

(Rh/DrAK/MSM)