Five-year-old tribal boy dies of fever in Koodalarkudy in Idukki

A five-year-old boy died of fever in Koodalarkudy, one of the many settlements in the tribal panchayat of Edamalakudy, on Friday.  

The child, identified as Karthik, son of Moorthi and Usha, developed a high fever in the morning which worsened during the day. Since the settlement had no road connectivity, the family was forced to carry the child on a makeshift stretcher made of clothes through the dense forest for about 10 km. The trek took more than two hours, after which the child was transported by vehicle to a hospital in Mankulam, from where he was referred to the Adimaly Taluk Hospital. Despite the efforts, the child died while being shifted to the taluk hospital . 

Although a Primary Health Centre operates at the administrative centre of Edamalakudy, residents of Koodalarkudy must trek nearly four hours to reach there. So, the family opted for Mankulam due to its relatively easier access. Health authorities suspect that the delay in medical intervention might have led to the death of the boy. 

Currently, motorable road connectivity from Munnar extends only up to Societykudi, and even that route can be accessed only through a multi-utility vehicle. Beyond this point, interior tribal hamlets remain accessible solely on foot. In a similar incident in February, a 13-year-old boy from Andavan Kudi had died of fever.