A mysterious skin disease has killed five elderly women in the span of two weeks at an old age home called Snehaveedu in Kerala’s Muvattupuzha, triggering outrage against the allegedly poor condition of the institute managed by Sneham Charitable and Educational Trust. All the five deceased reportedly displayed similar symptoms before their death. They had developed swelling and blisters under their feet which eventually spread to other parts of the body, their skin was getting peeled off, and they were vomiting blood.
Six more residents who showed some of these symptoms were admitted to the Muvattupuzha general hospital, and their condition is said to be stable. As of now, the Muvattupuzha municipality officials have temporarily shifted the remaining residents to a safe rescue centre, shut down Snehaveedu, and initiated disinfection procedures.
The police had first registered a case of death under suspicious circumstances after one of the residents at Snehaveedu, Aliamma George (78), passed away on July 15. Subsequently, Lakshmi Kuttappan (78) and Amina Pareed (86) reportedly died under similar circumstances on July 19 and 27 respectively. Two more women – Eali Skariya (80) and Kamalam (72) — breathed their last later on July 29, after which the police registered a second case under Section 174 (preparation of inquest report in case a person has died under suspicious circumstances) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. A team headed by Muvattupuzha Inspector Baiju PM conducted an inspection at the old age home on July 29 and recorded the statements of the institute’s residents.
The postmortem reports are yet to be released, but preliminary test results based on pus samples collected from the deceased have indicated the presence of dangerous bacteria such as the Klebsiella pneumoniae and the Staphylococcus aureus. Muvattupuzha MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan has sent a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking a detailed inquiry into the incident.
After the deaths began to garner media attention on July 29, municipal authorities alleged that they were not informed of the disease outbreak at the old age home. Bineesh Kumar, chairperson of the Sneham Charitable Trust that manages Snehaveedu, however refuted this claim and stated that he had shared the news with both the ward councillor and relatives of the deceased.
Amid criticism regarding the Trust’s management of Snehaveedu, the Muvattupuzha municipality is reportedly considering entrusting the old age home’s responsibility to Gandhibhavan shelter located in Pathanapuram, Kollam district. An amount of Rs 8 lakh has also been allotted for the renovation of the institute. It is alleged that Sneham Charitable Trust’s agreement with the municipality concerning the management of Snehaveedu had expired last year, and is yet to be renewed.