A 24×7 control room has been installed in the office of the Municipal Corporation of Eluru.
Highlight
- The mysterious disease was reported in the town of Eluru in Andhra Pradesh
- People reported losing consciousness after seizure symptoms, nausea
- The cause of the disease has not yet been established.
Amaravati:
The mysterious disease that began spreading in the Andhra Pradesh town of Eluru claimed a life on Sunday, even as some 292 residents fell ill.
More than 140 of the patients have returned home after treatment at the hospital, while the condition of others was stable, West Godavari district health and medical officials said.
The Home Union Minister of State G Kishan Reddy spoke by phone with AP Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, asked about the situation, and said the Center was ready to provide any possible help.
The Union Interior Ministry also contacted the governor’s office about this, official sources here said.
Nothing has yet been established about the cause of the disease that caused people to suddenly lose consciousness after suffering symptoms of seizures and nausea.
Health authorities were not yet able to establish the cause of the sudden illness, although blood tests and CT (brain) scan were performed.
Cerebrospinal fluid tests were also normal. The probable cause could become apparent only after they received the results of the culture test.
According to the district’s joint collector, Himanshu Shukla, the E-coli results were also expected.
Himanshu Shukla told PTI that expert scientists from the National Institute of Nutrition and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad would arrive in Eluru on Monday to diagnose the cause of the disease.
A 24×7 control room has been installed in the office of the Municipal Corporation of Eluru.
Milk samples were also randomly collected and sent for examination in Vijayawada.
A 45-year-old man, who was admitted to the Eluru GGH with symptoms of nausea and epilepsy, died overnight.
Most of the people who suffered from the disease recovered within minutes, but at least seven people were transferred to the Government General Hospital in Vijayawada on Sunday for better treatment.
All patients tested negative for COVID-19. Special teams of doctors have been transferred to Eluru to treat the victims, while a house-to-house survey has been conducted to identify potential patients.
The state health commissioner, Katamaneni Bhaskar, also rushed to Eluru to review the situation and monitor treatment.
BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao, who spoke with Chief Secretary of State Nilam Sawhney, said that a five-member team of doctors from the Indian Institute of Medical Sciences in Mangalagiri was sent to Eluru to treat the patients.
GVL Narasimha Rao said that he spoke with AIIMS Delhi director Randeep Guleria and other experts on the mysterious disease and also made them speak with West Godavari district medical officials.
Poisonous organochlorine substances could be the most likely cause of the disease, the deputy said after speaking with experts.
The governor of the state, Biswabhusan Harichandan, expressed concern about the spread of the mysterious disease and ordered the health authorities to ensure adequate medical care for those affected.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy scheduled a visit to Eluru on Monday to visit patients at the GGH and then hold a review meeting with West Godavari district officials.
Senior Deputy Minister (Health) AKK Srinivas (Nani), who represents Eluru, said tests established that water contamination was not the cause of the mysterious disease.
Nani visited the hospital again on Sunday, took stock of the situation and said there was no need to panic.
“Most of the victims have recovered and others are stable. We have prepared 50 beds at the GGH in Vijayawada to transfer patients if necessary.
Our medical teams are treating all patients, “said the senior vice minister.
TDP Secretary General Nara Lokesh also visited the hospital and spoke with the victims.
He blamed the negligence of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government for the outbreak of the disease, although it was initially suspected that water contamination caused it.
Expressing anguish over the illness of 292 people, TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu demanded a full investigation into the outbreak of the disease and the declaration of a health emergency in the city of Eluru.
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