The disease has caused people to suddenly become unconscious after suffering from epilepsy and nausea.
Lead and nickel content has been found in blood samples from some patients ill with a mysterious illness in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, authorities said Tuesday. So far, the disease has claimed a life and left more than 500 people sick.
Preliminary findings by teams of experts from the Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other state and central institutions, presented to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday, revealed the presence of lead and nickel particles in blood samples. However, no explanation was provided as to how the particulate material ended up in the bloodstream. Also, since the government sent only a few samples for analysis to AIIMS, more samples were sent on Tuesday, and a conclusion will only be reached after those samples are analyzed.
Milk and drinking water samples are also being analyzed in the region for the presence of particulate matter.
The disease has caused people to suddenly become unconscious after suffering from epilepsy and nausea since Saturday night. Other symptoms of the disease include forgetfulness, back pain, and headache. The epileptic seizure lasts 3 to 5 minutes, but does not recur, doctors had previously said.
In addition, AIIMS, the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) is also doing parallel research. The institute has yet to finalize its findings and determine the exact cause of the disease.
Following the AIIMS report, which showed that those affected had lead and nickel, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy ordered authorities to carry out a comprehensive investigation to find out how lead and nickel particles could have entered the bodies of the residents of Eluru.
According to the latest health bulletin issued at 4 in the afternoon, 561 people have been affected by the disease, of which 81 are active patients. On Tuesday alone, 73 people were admitted to the hospital. Authorities said that among the 561 patients, 450 of them were discharged.
According to health authorities, of the 505 infected people, more than 370 had recovered and another 120 were being treated at the hospital.
To manage the crisis, in addition to the medical experts deployed by the World Health Organization, a team from the National Institute of Nutrition of four members, a joint team from the National Institute of Virology – PUNE, the National Center for Disease Control ( NCDC) and AIIMS New Delhi have deployed on Tuesday.
Senior Deputy Minister (Health) AKK Srinivas said affected people were recovering well and there was no need to panic.
“Full details on what triggered the mysterious disease will be known only after central agencies submit their reports. Mainly, lead has been found to be the cause of the outbreak, ”he said.
A special sanitation campaign was carried out in the town of Eluru and also in the adjacent rural areas and Denduluru, from where the cases were reported.
Srinivas, who represents Eluru, toured the towns on Tuesday, inspecting the drinking water reservoirs and overseeing the sanitation campaign.
With PTI inputs
