With the ripening of Kasaundi or Cassia occidentalis fruits — the killer weed — two children have already died and seven others are seriously ill in Saharanpur district after they allegedly consumed seeds of the plant. This has caused an alarm in the district administration.

Last year, as many as 48 children had died in the district after unsuspectingly eating the seeds of the weed. All the nine children who consumed the seeds last week are from Sangha Khera village. The experts had forewarned the state Health Department that the weed was poisonous and had caused the deaths of the children in the district. They had even said that it was not Japanese Encephalitis (JE) which was causing death in the district as considered by the administration. “Initially, we registered these cases as acute encephalitis syndrome as there were clinical similarities. However, when the blood tests did not confirm JE, we investigated the cases and found that all of them had eaten Kasaundi seeds,” said Dr O P Singh, nodal officer for AES in Saharanpur.

Earlier this month, when the children fell ill, their parents tried some home remedies. “When a four-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy died on October 4 within two days of consuming the weed, the pradhan approached us and we brought all the children to the district hospital. Their condition is stable now,” said Dr Usha Tomar, Chief Medical Officer of Saharanpur.

The Health Department has now begun awareness activities in the village and its adjoining area. “We have distributed pamphlets carrying picture of the weed and asking people not to eat it. Gram Pradhans are being educated, they are being asked to organise group meetings and tell the people about the danger from the weed,” said Tomar.

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