Updated: December 9, 2020 10:10:19 pm
Even citizens who regularly consume mineral water have been affected. Furthermore, the disease is not limited to the municipal area of Eluru. (Photo: AP)
Andhra Pradesh Department of Health officials investigating the Mysterious disease that has affected more than 550 people in Eluru They have said that the excessive use of powdered bleach and chlorine, as part of the Covid-19 sanitation measures, may have caused water contamination that made people sick.
“Health experts suspect that excessive use of powdered bleach and chlorine in sanitation programs as part of Covid-19 prevention measures may be the cause of water contamination. This is just one of the causes we are exploring, ”Andhra Pradesh Health Minister A Krishna Srinivas said. The Indian Express.
A multidisciplinary team of experts from the World Health Organization, AIIMS (New Delhi), the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology told the AP government that it should focus in investigating the source of water contamination.
“The presence of lead and nickel in the bodies of patients could have caused the disease, which could be due to pesticides mixing with the water supply in Eluru,” said a statement from the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office. .
Doctors and experts from AIIMS, New Delhi, had said that primary investigations revealed that lead and nickel content appeared to be high in the blood of the sick. “Furthermore, it was found that there was a significant drop in the level of lead in the body of the patients after 24 hours of becoming ill. The dumping of broken batteries in water sources may also have led to the current situation, ”said an official.
AIIMS experts Mangalagiri in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district, who took the first blood samples from affected people, said that pesticides could have contaminated drinking water sources.
A team of experts from the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, said have examined food, water, milk, urine and blood samples from the families of the sick and samples of vegetables and market staples were also taken. “We are conducting comprehensive tests. So far, there are no danger signs. We will present a report on water, food, milk, urine and blood samples, ”said Dr. JJ Babu, who leads the NIN team.
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