The cases of sudden hair loss reported in Buldhana district in Maharashtra in December and January are not linked to consumption of wheat supplied from ration stores nor does it appear to have been caused by water contamination, state minister Meghna Bordikar said on Thursday
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The cases of sudden hair loss reported in Buldhana district in Maharashtra in December and January where many college students and young girls, faced significant social challenges due to the condition, including disrupted educational pursuits and arranged marriages are not linked to consumption of wheat supplied from ration stores nor does it appear to have been caused by water contamination, state minister Meghna Bordikar informed on Thursday, reported PTI.
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This incident of sudden hair loss in Buldana district made national headlines.
The social stigma surrounding alopecia led few people to shave their scalps in order to avoid public embarrassment.
The minister of state for public health was responding to a question raised by MLC Satyajit Tambe during a short-term discussion in the Legislative Council, in which legislators Kishor Darade and Vikram Kale also participated.
"The hair loss cases reported in various villages of Shegaon taluka in Buldhana are a serious matter. A household survey has been conducted in all affected villages, and samples of water, soil, blood, and wheat have been collected for testing. These samples have been sent to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for analysis. Once the ICMR report is received, the exact cause of hair loss will be determined. Necessary action will be taken accordingly," Bordikar stated.
Health check-ups have been conducted for children and pregnant women in the affected areas, the minister informed, adding the government regularly implements various food distribution schemes, including Shiv Bhojan and midday meals, ensuring high-quality food grains.
"We are strengthening monitoring mechanisms to ensure the quality of food distributed through these schemes. Additionally, strict hygiene instructions have been issued for midday meal programmes in ashram schools and other educational institutions. Any negligence in maintaining hygiene standards will be met with strict action," Bordikar noted.
Some experts have linked the sudden hair loss to high selenium content, a mineral found in soil that naturally appears in water and certain foods, including wheat sourced from Punjab and Haryana and distributed through local ration shops.
The cases of sudden hair loss, or 'acute onset alopecia totalis', were reported in 279 individuals in 18 villages of Maharashtra's Buldana between December 2024 and January this year.
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