The Hindu : Front Page : ‘Hot needle therapy’ for the newborn

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Saturday, Nov 24, 2007
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‘Hot needle therapy’ for the newborn

S. Prasad

Krishnagiri: The first cry of a newborn that one may hear from the hutment of a tribal family here need not always be a signal that everything is hunky-dory. It could well be a death cry.

For, a section of the tribal people still practise a strange custom of inflicting injuries using hot needle on infants within an hour of their birth. It is prevalent in Athinatham, Noorundusamy malai, Sivapuram, Lambadithotti, Kachuvadi and Jodukarai.

The district administration is now seeking to wean the tribal people away from the practice, which is thought to have led to a significant increase in infant deaths in Krishnagiri district.

Since most of the deliveries occur in their huts themselves , it is difficult to curb the ‘age-old ritual.’

Hot needles are used to pierce the forehead, navel, abdomen and toes of the newborn for “their betterment.”

Says Noorappan, a tribal: “Hot needles are used on newborns within an hour of birth. The custom has been in vogue for successive generations and enhances the urinary output of the child. Unlike in the case of a delivery in a Primary Health Centre, the mother and child are kept inside the hut for three months. The sepsis is cured with castor oil.”

“Even cattle and livestock are not spared from this practice,” says Aruna Rathinam, a social activist. “In the absence of registration of births in the tribal hamlets, there should be a planned campaign and sustainable follow up actions against such unhealthy and cruel practices” she says.

Adds Dr. Jayanthi, Assistant Project Officer, UNICEF: “The baby can go in for a shock and trauma because of the sudden pain. The whole body gets into sepsis and it can even lead to death for babies with poor weight.”

District Collector Santhosh Babu says: “The district administration will formulate an action plan. Primary Health Centre doctors and Village Health Nurses will be roped in to ensure a sustainable remedy.” Says UNICEF consultant P. Ganesamoorthi: “UNICEF and the district administration will train village volunteers to educate the tribals on the real causes of diseases and create awareness about the ill-effects of hot needle treatment.”

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