Maihar: In a suspected case of measles, two children have lost their lives in Madhya Pradesh's Maihar and around 17 others are down with infection. According to a health official, the incident has compelled the district authorities to shut all schools in eight villages for three days.

A medical team has been deployed to prevent the further spread of the disease, the official said. "Two children, one of them seven years old, died of suspected measles on February 14 and 16. Another 17 children were found to be infected in eight villages," the chief medical and health officer (CMHO) LK Tiwari said. Of the infected children, seven are admitted to a hospital, he said. 

Based on a report, the collector has ordered the closure of all government and private schools in the eight affected villages for three days starting Monday and sought a survey of the habitations in the 5 km radius of these villages, the official said. The collector has also banned gatherings of children at any function in the affected areas, he said.

Samples have been collected from the infected children and sent to Bhopal-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for examination, he said. A team from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is also expected to visit the affected villages on Monday, the official said.

(With PTI inputs)