Following the death of an eight-year-old in Thiruvallur, the public health department is all set to crack down on quacks in the district. Hemalatha had died on Saturday due to bacterial meningitis, after she had been treated initially by a quack.

In August, about seven children died of water and vector-borne infections, in which, about four of them were treated by quacks.

According to the public health officials, the quack who treated Hemalatha is absconding. But during the investigation, they found another quack, Padmini, a Siddha practitioner practicing allopathy, as reported by The Times of India.

Mohanan, Thiruvallur joint director of health told TOI that when they visited the quack, she was giving intravenous fluids to a patient with body ache. An FIR was registered against her on Saturday night.

About 16 quacks have been arrested in August. Senior public health officials said that the state government must implement the Supreme Court order which states that those indulging in cross prescription should also be considered quacks, as reported by The Times of India.

Two teams of the public health department are visiting clinics and enquiring about more quacks in the district.