The mysterious disease that began spreading in Eluru city in Andhra Pradesh claimed one life on Sunday and about 292 residents fell sick.
According to the West Godavari district medical and health officials, more than 140 of the patients have returned home after treatment at the hospital while the condition of others was stable.
Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy spoke with AP Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney over the phone and enquired about the situation and said the Centre was ready to extend any possible help.
Spoke to the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh about an unidentified illness that’s a cause of concern in the Eluru District of the state.
We will constantly monitor the situation and coordinate with the state administration for necessary support.
— G Kishan Reddy (@kishanreddybjp) December 6, 2020
The Union Home Ministry was also in touch with the Governor’s office over this, official sources here said.
Nothing has been established yet as to what caused the disease that saw people suddenly falling unconscious after suffering from symptoms of fits and nausea.
Health authorities could not yet establish the cause of the sudden disease though blood tests and CT (brain) scan were performed.
Cerebral Spinal Fluid tests also turned out to be normal. The probable cause could become evident only after the culture test results came in.
According to district Joint Collector Himanshu Shukla, E-coli results were also awaited.
Himanshu Shukla told PTI that expert scientists from the National Institute of Nutrition and Indian Institute of Chemical Technology from Hyderabad would arrive in Eluru on Monday for diagnosing the cause of the disease.
A 24×7 control room has been set up in the Eluru Municipal Corporation office. Milk samples were also collected at random and sent for examination in Vijayawada.
Meanwhile a 45-year-old man, who was admitted to the GGH in Eluru with symptoms of nausea and epilepsy, died in the evening.
The majority of the people who suffered the sickness had recovered within a few minutes but at least seven persons were shifted to the Government General Hospital in Vijayawada on Sunday for better treatment.
All the patients tested negative for COVID-19. Special teams of doctors have been rushed to Eluru to treat the victims while a house-to-house survey has been undertaken to identify prospective patients.
