Five-year-old Kid Branded With Hot Iron to Treat Cough, Cold

Bhopal: A five-month-old kid was branded with a hot iron in order to cure him of a normal cough and cold in Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh.

Fortunately, the kid did not get any infection of this "bizarre therapy", and was admitted to a government hospital.

The kid Sunil was brought to Government Children’s Hospital in Ratlam late evening on Thursday. He was running a high fever and suffering from cough and cold, too.

The ailing kid from the village Lasudiakhedi, under the limits of Taal police station, was admitted, and his medical examination revealed that he was carrying two burn marks, believed to have sustained by a hot piece of iron, branded usually as part of treatment in rural areas.

Sunil’s uncle Shantilal told doctors that the kid was in Mandsaur a fortnight ago, where he caught a cough, cold, and fever. When he was brought to Ratlam, his mother Gangabai took her to a local quack, who branded him with a hot iron in order to cure him.

When there was no noticeable improvement in Sunil’s health, he was brought to Ratlam city for treatment. Paediatrician Dr Yogesh Neekhra said that the kid was put under "daam" (branding with a hot iron), a fortnight ago and his wounds have healed.

“The kid was lucky that he did not catch any infection,” he said, adding that Sunil was showing signs of improvement after treatment.

Dr Neekhra said that people in rural areas often go for such superstitious treatment for kids, putting their lives at risk.