Uttar Pradesh hamlet facing problem of handicapped children

k Chak (Uttar Pradesh), Aug.23 (ANISemra Manik Chak hamlet, with a population of about 2,000, has at least one or more member suffering with some kind of disability in almost every family.

By Kamna Mathur

Semra Manik Chak (Uttar Pradesh), Aug.23 : Semra Manik Chak hamlet, with a population of about 2,000, has at least one or more member suffering with some kind of disability in almost every family.

Many children in the village, which is part of the Gorakhpur district, are born with hearing and visual impairment.

Dulari Devi, one of the village women, said that some children cannot hear while many are physically-challenged. There are also innumerable instances of premature birth.

Villagers rue that their hamlet lacks basic medical facilities.

Local doctors suspect that it could be due to mineral deficiency in the women during pregnancy. They want genetic factors to be tested.

Anju Mishra, a Gynaecologist, said: "About 20 years ago the soil of Purvanchal area had iodine deficiency. Thus, most of the women and children developed Goitre. But since it's a particular village, the main reason is deficiency of minerals."

Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDDs) are common in India .Around 70 million people in the country suffer from IDDs, with 200 million more at risk.

According to UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), of the 26 million children born in India every year, as many as 12 million are unprotected against Iodine Deficiency Disorders, such as irreversible brain damage, deaf- mutism, dwarfism and severely depleted levels of productivity.

ANI