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One person has died and more than 400 have been hospitalized in southern India due to an unidentified infection that caused many to fall unconscious after seizures and nausea, a senior health department official said.
Government and medical authorities in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh said more than 200 people were discharged over the weekend.
They said the tests had ruled out Covid-19, the infection caused by the new coronavirus. More serological tests are underway.
“The causes of the outbreak are not yet known,” the state government said in a statement, adding that people of all age groups appeared prone to infection.
Separately, India’s federal Health Ministry said it would send a team of three medical experts to investigate the outbreak, which has infected more than 300 children, it said.
“The children reportedly suffered from dizziness, fainting, headaches and vomiting,” the ministry said, adding that a door-to-door survey was also being conducted.
The state health department was alerted to the first case over the weekend after the death of a 45-year-old man, said Geeta Prasadini, director of public health for the state of Andhra Pradesh.
“We have taken blood samples from patients for serological and bacterial investigation to rule out any type of meningitis,” Ms Prasadini said.
Authorities were investigating water supplies in 20 locations within the city of Eluru, where the outbreak was first reported, as well as in neighboring areas, it added.
The state of Andhra Pradesh is also among the most affected by Covid-19 in the country.
India, which has recorded 9.68 million Covid-19 infections, is right behind the United States in the global tally.
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