After reports came in that some villagers in Buldhana district are reporting sudden hair loss, the authorities initiated testing of local water sources for possible contamination.
A sudden wave of hair loss leading to baldness among residents in several villages of Maharashtra's Buldhana district has sparked panic, reports said. Authorities have launched investigations into local water sources for potential contamination. State health department officials report that 30 people in Kalvad, Bondgaon, and Hingna villages in Shegaon taluka have complained of rapid hair loss.
Water samples from these villages have also been sent for tests to check for possible contamination. District health officer Amol Geete said that in majority of the cases, a fungal infection of the scalp, due to which people experience hair fall, reports said.
“As soon as we got the information, we sent a skin specialist and an epidemiologist to the village for the primary investigation. Around 99 per cent of the cases show a fungal infection of the scalp, due to which people experience hair fall,” India Today quoted Geete.
Geete added: “We will also test the water to see if there are heavy metals in it, because they boost fungal infection. We will take skin samples of 2 to 4 patients and send them to Akola Medical College for microscopy.”
Additionally, a health department team has begun a survey in these areas, and medical treatment for those affected is already underway, according to Shegaon health officer Dr. Deepali Bahekar. “The department has started medical treatment of the patients as per the symptoms, and the advice from skincare specialists is also being taken,” Bahekar said, according to PTI.