Mysterious Disease Causes Nail Bleeding, Panic Grips Locals

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu)- There was a stir in Shegaon tehsil of Buldhana district of Maharashtra when people started falling prey to a mysterious disease. According to the information, people's nails suddenly started falling in many villages, which spread panic. Several months ago, many people faced the problem of severe hair loss due to the so-called 'bald virus'.

According to local sources, this worrying condition was first reported in December 2024, when around 300 villagers of Bondgaon and its neighbouring villages complained of rapid hair loss. Now, in a disturbing development, many people are also suffering from nail deformity and falling off. “The problem started with sudden hair loss in December-end. Now, for the last four-five days, people's nails have also started falling off,” said Rameshwar Dharkar, sarpanch of Bondgaon, one of the affected villages in the district. Health officials have started medical check-ups. A team of the district health department recently visited the affected areas and collected blood samples for analysis. The most affected villages include Bondgaon, Khatkher and Bhongaon under Shegaon tehsil of the district.

Dr Anil Banker, health officer of the Buldhana health department, confirmed the development. “Nail deformities have been observed in 29 individuals from four villages; in some cases the nails have completely separated. They have been given initial treatment and further investigations will be conducted at Shegaon hospital,” Dr Banker said. District health officer Dr Amol Geete said initial findings point to increased levels of selenium as the likely culprit behind the hair and nail loss. “We hope to get conclusive test results in the next few days,” he said. The condition, described by medical experts as acute onset alopecia totalis, was initially linked to high levels of selenium found in wheat distributed through public ration stores. Padmashree awardee Dr Himmatrao Bawaskar, a leading medical expert from Buldhana who now lives in Mahad in Raigad district, revealed that the wheat supplied to those villages through ration shops from Punjab and Haryana has selenium levels 600 times higher than the locally grown varieties.