Sat Jan 18 02:31:18 UTC 2025: ## Mysterious Hair Loss Affects Hundreds in Maharashtra Village

**Mumbai, January 18, 2025** – Over 190 people in 12 villages in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district are experiencing a sudden and unexplained hair loss, leaving children, men, and women bald. The condition, which began three weeks ago and was initially dubbed a “baldness virus” by villagers, has prompted an investigation by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Experts have identified the condition as anagen effluvium, a type of non-scarring alopecia. Teams from ICMR and AIIMS have collected hair, blood, urine, water, biopsy, environmental, and biological samples from over 155 individuals. Initial tests for fungal infections have been negative, and samples have been sent to labs in Bhopal and Delhi for further analysis, with results expected in two weeks.

While the affected individuals, primarily from low-income agricultural backgrounds, show no other symptoms like fever or diarrhea, they report an itchy scalp, leading to hair loss when scratched. Dr. Manoj Vasant Murhekar of ICMR noted that hair regrowth has been observed in some patients, a positive sign. Elevated nitrate levels were found in some water samples, but tests for heavy metals were negative.

Union Minister of State for AYUSH and Health, Prataprao Jadhav, stated that the cases are scattered and not concentrated within single families, and that water samples from various sources have shown no abnormalities. A further team from AIIMS Nagpur is joining the investigation. Health officials are emphasizing that the condition is not contagious and urging the public not to panic. Affected individuals are currently receiving topical lotions, multivitamins, and antifungal agents.

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