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12:23 p. M.
Wednesday 09 December 2020
I wrote – Hoda El-Shimi:
At a time when India is recording record numbers of patients and deaths from the Crown epidemic, doctors in India are perplexed and anxious about the spread of a mysterious disease in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, which has infected some 500 people and has killed one since the cases were reported last Saturday.
Today Wednesday, the Indian Ministry of Health announced the registration of 32.80 new cases of the emerging virus; This brings the total number of confirmed cases of the virus across the country so far to 9 million and 735,850 cases.
Indian media reports said on Saturday that dozens of people in Andhra Pradesh have been hospitalized after the outbreak of the mysterious disease in the city of Eluru.
According to Gita Prasadini, director of public health in Andhra Pradesh, some people start to get cramps without warning. Other symptoms include nausea, anxiety, and loss of consciousness.
Here’s what we know about the mysterious Indian disease:
How many patients are there in India?
Since last Saturday, 546 people have been hospitalized, government spokesman Dasari Nagorjuna said that most of the patients have recovered and returned home, while 148 people continue to receive treatment and a 45-year-old man died from the disease.
Prasadini noted that an autopsy did not reveal additional information on the cause of death.
Medical reports showed the deceased man was taken to hospital after presenting symptoms similar to epilepsy.
According to health officials, the work of the patients varies, including at least 70 children, and they have been transferred to hospitals from different locations.
Prasadini told the Reuters news agency that there had been no new serious cases in the past 24 hours.
What are the symptoms that patients have?
Symptoms that occurred in the patients included dizziness, seizures lasting 3-5 minutes, sudden coma, memory loss within minutes, headache, back pain, chills, and foam at the mouth.
Is it Covid-19?
Doctors said the patients’ tests showed they did not have Covid-19, the disease caused by the emerging corona virus.
In addition, blood samples were examined to ensure that they were free of other viruses such as dengue, chikungunya, and herpes.
What did the blood sample tests show?
Indian authorities said the results of analysis of the patients’ blood samples showed traces of lead and nickel particles, according to Reuters and The Times of India.
Elevated levels of lead in the blood can impede the development of the brain, nervous system, and vital organs such as the heart and lungs.
However, health officials are still looking for definitive reasons that explain the spread of the disease among hundreds of people in several days. “Nobody knows!” Prasadini said.
Reuters said a second hospital was running similar tests to ensure the results were correct and accurate.
Other state officials believe the illness was caused by organic chlorine in pesticides that may have poisoned patients.
In this regard, Prasadini said that pesticides may be behind the spread of patients.
Authorities are also testing water samples for contamination after all patients were found to be using water from the same source.
CNN reported that samples were collected from more than 57,000 families and sent to laboratories.
