Hyderabad: 15-Year-Old Nihal Bitla, India’s first person recognized by Progeria passed away on Monday night at around 11:30 pm at his native in Telangana.
Progeria is an extremely rare genetic disorder characterized by premature aging symptoms and it affects 1 per 8 million births. Fighting a rare disease that aged him eight times faster, the country’s first reported case of progeria, Nihal Bitla, passed away at 15.
Nihal along with his family took up the challenge of raising awareness about the disease and finding out more such cases for medical intervention in the country. “We will continue our support to increase awareness on the disease and help other families who have children with this disease,” Srinivas Bitla, Nihal’s father, had said in an interview this January.
His relatives said that the climatic conditions in Telangana did not suit Nihal’s weakening body and his condition started to deteriorate owing to dehydration on Monday evening. “The family immediately called for an ambulance but he fell unconscious on the way to the hospital and was pronounced dead,” said a close family friend.
