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The Hindu
03-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Dental clinic's unsterile practices led to death of eight patients due to brain infection in Tamil Nadu's Vaniyambadi: study
Tirupattur Collector K. Sivasoundaravalli on Friday said that a private dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town will be ordered to close down based on a status quo report filed in 2023 by the then Joint Director of Health and Joint Director of Medical and Rural Health Services (JDSS). The Collector's action comes in the wake of a study done jointly by CMC Vellore, ICMR-NIE and Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health. It shows that unsterile dental practices at the clinic allegedly led to death of eight patients who got treated there in May 2023. The study say that an unsterile surgical instrument was used to open a saline bottle at the clinic. Reuse of the bottle's contents had led to at least 10 people contracting neuro melioidosis — a bacterial infection of the brain — which allegedly led to the death of eight patients, who got treated there, the study said. Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Sivasoundaravalli said that a four-member health team led by V. Gnana Meenakshi, Tirupattur JDSS, inspected the facility to assess the existing condition and medical procedures followed there. Following this, the team has submitted a status quo report to the Collector. The team included C. Illavani, senior dentist, Government Taluk Hospital (Tirupattur) and S. Sivasubramani, medical officer, Government Taluk Hospital (Vaniyambadi). 'During the inspection, they found that the dental clinic was functioning some distance away from its previous location in the town. I have directed Tirupattur SP [Shreya Gupta] to investigate the cases filed against the clinic,' said Ms. Sivasoundaravalli. The team also found that the clinic had slightly changed its nomenclature. 'We are also verifying previous medical records and the report filed by the then JDSS, to initiate further action against the clinic,' said Ms. Gnana Meenakshi, incumbent JDSS. In a press release, CMC Vellore said that during 2022—2023, there were frequent admissions of patients with brainstem syndrome at the hospital. Among 21 cases identified, 10 had undergone dental procedures. The dental clinic was investigated to identify the source of contamination, and the bacteria was isolated from an in-use saline bottle. 'The outbreak was controlled with 10 cases by active intervention of the district government health authorities,' the statement said. Meanwhile, Indian Dental Association (IDA) has denied the claims made by the ICMR-led study on the deaths. 'We completely deny the claim as the private dental clinic had followed all medical norms prescribed under the law,' T. Gokulraj of IDA (Tamil Nadu), told reporters.
The Hindu
30-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Dental clinic's unsterile practices led to death of 8 in Vaniyambadi: study
Tirupattur Collector K. Sivasoundaravalli on Friday said that a private dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town will be ordered to close down based on a status quo report filed in 2023 by the then Joint Director of Health and Joint Director of Medical and Rural Health Services (JDSS). The Collector's action comes in the wake of a study done jointly by CMC Vellore, ICMR-NIE and Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health. It shows that unsterile dental practices at the clinic allegedly led to death of eight patients who got treated there in May 2023. The study say that an unsterile surgical instrument was used to open a saline bottle at the clinic. Reuse of the bottle's contents had led to at least 10 people contracting neuro melioidosis — a bacterial infection of the brain — which allegedly led to the death of eight patients, who got treated there, the study said. Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Sivasoundaravalli said that a four-member health team led by V. Gnana Meenakshi, Tirupattur JDSS, inspected the facility to assess the existing condition and medical procedures followed there. Following this, the team has submitted a status quo report to the Collector. The team included C. Illavani, senior dentist, Government Taluk Hospital (Tirupattur) and S. Sivasubramani, medical officer, Government Taluk Hospital (Vaniyambadi). 'During the inspection, they found that the dental clinic was functioning some distance away from its previous location in the town. I have directed Tirupattur SP [Shreya Gupta] to investigate the cases filed against the clinic,' said Ms. Sivasoundaravalli. The team also found that the clinic had slightly changed its nomenclature. 'We are also verifying previous medical records and the report filed by the then JDSS, to initiate further action against the clinic,' said Ms. Gnana Meenakshi, incumbent JDSS. In a press release, CMC Vellore said that during 2022—2023, there were frequent admissions of patients with brainstem syndrome at the hospital. Among 21 cases identified, 10 had undergone dental procedures. The dental clinic was investigated to identify the source of contamination, and the bacteria was isolated from an in-use saline bottle. 'The outbreak was controlled with 10 cases by active intervention of the district government health authorities,' the statement said. Meanwhile, Indian Dental Association (IDA) has denied the claims made by the ICMR-led study on the deaths. 'We completely deny the claim as the private dental clinic had followed all medical norms prescribed under the law,' T. Gokulraj of IDA (Tamil Nadu), told reporters.
Economic Times
29-05-2025
- Health
- Economic Times
Patients visit Tamil Nadu dental clinic for checkup, get infected with deadly disease: 8 of 10 die
A shocking new study published in The Lancet has revealed that eight people died after getting infected with a rare and deadly brain infection called neuromelioidosis. The source of the infection? A dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town in Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur district. The outbreak happened in 2023 but was not reported by any government agency. The infection was linked to unclean dental practices, according to a joint investigation by doctors from CMC Vellore, ICMR-NIE, and Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Public Health. The study found that a surgical tool called a periosteal elevator was used to open a saline bottle, which was later loosely closed. The same bottle was reused for other patients. At least 10 people got infected, and eight of them died, making the fatality rate 80%.Dr Angel Miraclin Thirugnanakumar from CMC Vellore, the lead author of the study, said the bacteria entered through nerve pathways when the infected saline was used to clean patients' mouths. This allowed the bacteria to reach the brain testing showed that the bacteria had a gene that attacks the brain more aggressively. Neuromelioidosis is a severe infection of the brain and spinal cord caused by a bacteria called Burkholderia pseudomallei. This bacteria is usually found in contaminated soil and water in tropical include: Fever Headache Slurred speech Blurred vision In some cases, facial paralysis Between July 2022 and April 2023, researchers found 21 cases in total. Of these, 10 patients had visited the dental clinic, and 9 people died overall. Most cases were from Tirupattur district. Those who visited the clinic died faster, from symptoms to death in just 16 days, and from hospital admission to death in 9 days. In contrast, the only person who died without visiting the clinic took 56 days after symptoms started and 38 days after 9 May 2023, CMC reported the rise in cases. Four days later, Tamil Nadu health officials held a meeting with hospitals and clinics in the region. A team of doctors began investigating the before they could collect samples, the dental clinic was disinfected and shut down after public complaints. Still, scientists managed to find the bacteria in a sample from the saline bottle. Other unopened saline bottles were who did not visit the dental clinic mostly showed swelling in the salivary gland, cheeks, or lymph nodes. But those who did visit had more serious symptoms like face swelling and soft tissue infections, likely due to swallowing the contaminated saline. Dr T S Selvavinayagam, Tamil Nadu's director of public health, said the outbreak has now been contained. 'This is a reminder for all healthcare workers to follow proper infection control practices,' he added. Inputs from TOI
Time of India
29-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Patients visit Tamil Nadu dental clinic for checkup, get infected with deadly disease: 8 of 10 die
How did it happen? Live Events What is neuromelioidosis? Fever Headache Slurred speech Blurred vision In some cases, facial paralysis What did officials do? What else did they find? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A shocking new study published in The Lancet has revealed that eight people died after getting infected with a rare and deadly brain infection called neuromelioidosis . The source of the infection? A dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town in Tamil Nadu 's Tirupattur district The outbreak happened in 2023 but was not reported by any government agency. The infection was linked to unclean dental practices, according to a joint investigation by doctors from CMC Vellore , ICMR-NIE, and Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Public study found that a surgical tool called a periosteal elevator was used to open a saline bottle, which was later loosely closed. The same bottle was reused for other patients. At least 10 people got infected, and eight of them died, making the fatality rate 80%.Dr Angel Miraclin Thirugnanakumar from CMC Vellore, the lead author of the study, said the bacteria entered through nerve pathways when the infected saline was used to clean patients' mouths. This allowed the bacteria to reach the brain testing showed that the bacteria had a gene that attacks the brain more is a severe infection of the brain and spinal cord caused by a bacteria called Burkholderia pseudomallei . This bacteria is usually found in contaminated soil and water in tropical include:Between July 2022 and April 2023, researchers found 21 cases in total. Of these, 10 patients had visited the dental clinic, and 9 people died overall. Most cases were from Tirupattur who visited the clinic died faster, from symptoms to death in just 16 days, and from hospital admission to death in 9 days. In contrast, the only person who died without visiting the clinic took 56 days after symptoms started and 38 days after 9 May 2023, CMC reported the rise in cases. Four days later, Tamil Nadu health officials held a meeting with hospitals and clinics in the region. A team of doctors began investigating the before they could collect samples, the dental clinic was disinfected and shut down after public complaints. Still, scientists managed to find the bacteria in a sample from the saline bottle. Other unopened saline bottles were who did not visit the dental clinic mostly showed swelling in the salivary gland, cheeks, or lymph nodes. But those who did visit had more serious symptoms like face swelling and soft tissue infections, likely due to swallowing the contaminated T S Selvavinayagam, Tamil Nadu's director of public health, said the outbreak has now been contained. 'This is a reminder for all healthcare workers to follow proper infection control practices ,' he from TOI
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Brain infection spread from infected saline in a dental clinic in TN killed eight people: Lancet
CHENNAI: Eight people died of neuromelioidosis — a bacterial infection of the brain — that they got from a dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town of Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur district in 2023, a study published in The Lancet has revealed. The outbreak, which hasn't been reported by any govt agency, has been linked to unsterile dental practices, according to an investigation by a team of doctors from multiple organisations including CMC Vellore, ICMR-NIE and Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health. The study said an unsterile surgical instrument called a periosteal elevator was used to open a saline bottle, which was then loosely resealed. Reuse of its contents by the clinic led to at least 10 people contracting the infection and eight of them dying, pegging the fatality rate at 80%, said the first author of the study, Dr Angel Miraclin Thirugnanakumar of the neurological sciences department at CMC. 'The rapid and high fatality may be because the bacteria in the saline travelled directly along nerve pathways when used to clean the patients' mouth during procedures, rather than through the bloodstream, a common route for such infections,' the researcher concluded. Whole genome sequencing showed that the bacteria has a gene that aggressively attacks the brain. Neuromelioidosis is a severe infection of the central nervous system, that includes the brain and the spinal cord, caused by bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei which is found in contaminated soil and water in tropical and subtropical regions. Symptoms include fever and headache followed by slurred speech, visual distortion and in some cases facial palsy. Between July 2022 and April 2023, the researchers identified 21 cases of neuromelioidosis (including 10 patients who went to the dental clinic) and total nine deaths. The fatality rate among the remaining 11 patients who didn't go to the dental clinic was 9%. Of the total 21 patients, 17 were in Tirupattur district, two in Ranipet, and one each in Tiruvannamalai and Krishnagiri. The patients who succumbed after their visit to the dental clinic had a quicker death since the infection date. It took 16 days from symptom onset to death and nine days from hospitalisation among patients who went to the clinic compared to 56 and 38 days respectively in case of the lone fatality not linked to the dental clinic. State public health officials said the study would help identify such cases to understand the epidemiology and initiate micro-containment measures. 'We have stopped the spread with corrective measures. It's also a reminder for healthcare providers to be aware of infection control measures,' said director of public health Dr T S Selvavinayagam. On May 9, 2023, CMC notified an increase in neuromelioidosis cases and said some of them were linked to the dental clinic. On May 13, 2023, health officials held a meeting with healthcare facilities and other stakeholders in Tirupattur and neighbouring districts. Soon, a team of doctors investigated the cluster to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics and identify the source of infection, said co-author Prabu Rajkumar from the ICMR-NIE. 'But before doctors could visit the dental clinic to pick samples, the clinic was disinfected, the water supply was cut off, and the clinic was closed following public outcry,' the authors wrote. However, scientists identified B. pseudomallei from the saline bottle sample. There was no contamination in unopened saline bottles. More samples were tested, and whole genome sequencing was done for further verification. Analysis showed head and neck involvement, such as inflammation of a salivary gland (parotid gland), inner lining of cheeks (buccal mucosa), along with enlargement or swelling of one or more lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy), was common in cases not linked to the dental clinic. But those with dental exposure showed rapid progression, presenting with facial cellulitis and soft tissue abscess, probably because the contaminated saline was ingested.
