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Villagers in rural India stage anti-superstition march after boy dies from untreated appendicitis

BMJ 2014; 348 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g1281 (Published 31 January 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g1281
  1. Sanjeet Bagcchi
  1. 1Kolkata

An anti-superstition health drive has been launched in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh after a schoolboy died from appendicitis. His parents were said to have pursued a “supernatural” cure instead of seeking qualified medical help. The Catholic News Agency reported the incident on 27 January, which sparked a backlash against superstition across India.

The boy was a primary school student in Lazu, a village in the state’s Miao diocese. His appendicitis was diagnosed during a regular school health check-up before the Christmas holiday. The school’s principal urged the boy’s parents to seek treatment at a hospital during the …

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