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One person died and more than 400 were taken to hospital in southern India due to an unidentified infection that caused many to fall unconscious after seizures and nausea, according to a senior health department official.
The disease was detected on Saturday night in Eluru, an ancient city in the state of Andhra Pradesh famous for its hand-woven products.
Since then, patients have experienced symptoms ranging from nausea and anxiety to loss of consciousness, doctors said.
Andhra Pradesh government and medical authorities said more than 200 people were discharged over the weekend and that the tests had ruled out Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
More serological tests are underway.
Separately, India’s federal Health Ministry said on Monday it would send a team of three medical experts to investigate the outbreak, which it said has infected more than 300 children.
“The children reportedly suffered from dizziness, fainting, headaches and vomiting,” the ministry said, adding that a door-to-door survey was also being conducted.
A 45-year-old man who was hospitalized with epilepsy-like symptoms and nausea died Sunday night, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
So far, water samples from affected areas have shown no signs of contamination, and the prime minister’s office said people not linked to the municipal water supply have also become ill.
The Chief Minister of State, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, visited a government hospital and met with patients.
The leader of the opposition, N Chandrababu Naidu, demanded on Twitter a “impartial and full investigation of the incident.”
Andhra Pradesh is among the states most affected by Covid-19, with more than 800,000 cases detected.
The health system in the state, like the rest of India, has been affected by the coronavirus.
