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NEW DELHI: At least one person has died and another 200 have been hospitalized due to an unidentified illness in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, reports said on Monday (December 7).
The disease was detected on Saturday night in Eluru, an ancient city famous for its hand-woven products. Since then, patients have experienced symptoms ranging from nausea and anxiety to loss of consciousness, doctors said.
A 45-year-old man who was hospitalized with epilepsy-like symptoms and nausea died Sunday night, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
A young patient is taken in a wheelchair to the district government hospital in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh state, India, on December 6, 2020 (Photo: AP).
Officials are trying to determine the cause of the disease. So far, water samples from the impacted areas have shown no signs of contamination and the patients tested negative for COVID-19.
Chief Minister of State YS Jagan Mohan Reddy visited a government hospital and met patients who were ill. The leader of the opposition, N Chandrababu Naidu, demanded on Twitter a “impartial and full investigation of the incident.”
The state of Andhra Pradesh is among the worst affected by COVID-19, with more than 800,000 cases detected. The health system in the state, like the rest of India, has been affected by the virus.
