Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy visited patients receiving treatment at Eluru GH on Friday.
It has been almost three days since 340 people in the Eluru district of Andhra Pradesh fell ill due to a mysterious illness and the government is still trying to find answers. Even as doctors are trying to understand what must have caused the disease, one person succumbed to the disease on Monday, while 157 people remain hospitalized in Eluru district, of which 14 are critical. The deceased has been identified as Sridhar.
All the patients were identified with symptoms of epilepsy, forgetfulness, anxiety, vomiting, headache and back pain, authorities said. Doctors also noted that the epileptic episode was only one time.
As the reason behind the mysterious disease continues to elude, 57,863 families in the district were surveyed, in which 191 of them were detected with the disease and transferred to the government hospital. Another aspect that worries the authorities is that people from the neighboring areas of Eluru are also beginning to show symptoms. The Chief Minister’s office said Monday that of the 340 patients, 307 belonged to urban Eluru, 30 to rural Eluru and three to Denduluru.
Speaking to TNM, AIIMS Mangalagiri medical superintendent said the investigation is still ongoing and the cause of the disease has yet to be identified. The Eluru Government Hospital had sent samples to AIIMS Mangalagiri institute for medical investigation to find out the reason for the illness.
Water contamination ruled out
Meanwhile, reports of drinking water samples taken from the affected areas ruled out the suspicion of water contamination as the results were “normal,” the CMO said. Authorities had taken 22 water samples.
It has also been found that the disease was not transmitted from one person to another. Another significant observation that the authorities have made is: people from other areas, where the water from the Eluru municipality was not distributed, also became ill and those who consumed mineral water also became ill. In each home, one or two people became ill.
The results of tests on blood samples taken from 52 people were also normal. Cerebrospinal fluid samples taken from 35 people showed that the cell count was normal. Even tests with the results of nine milk samples showed that there was no contamination. Ten samples were sent to the Hyderabad Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology for cellular and molecular analysis.
Crisis management
To handle the crisis, 56 physicians, including specialists, 3 microbiologists, 136 nurses, and other staff have been delegated to the district. Twenty ambulances were deployed and 62 medical camps were set up. A total of 445 beds have been arranged in four hospitals, including the Eluru Government Hospital. In Eluru GH, 50 additional beds were arranged along with 12 doctors, 4 ambulances, 36 nurses were monitoring the situation.
Prime Minister’s visit
Meanwhile, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy visited patients receiving treatment at Eluru GH. Assuring them of help, the Chief Minister spoke to the patients and asked about their health. Patients recounted the ordeal they went through and the symptoms of the disease before they became ill.
The Chief Minister is expected to convene a meeting in this regard with officials.
Read: ‘Mysterious illness in Eluru of Andhra due to the apathy of the Jagan government’: Chandrababu Naidu
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