At least one person has died and 200 others are in hospital in India due to a mysterious illness.
The first cases were detected in the evening of 5th December at the ancient city of Eluru, in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Patients are suffering from symptoms ranging from nausea and anxiety to seizures, convulsions and loss of consciousness, doctors said, but they have tested negative for COVID-19.
“The people who fell sick, especially the children, suddenly started vomiting after complaining of burning eyes. Some of them fainted or suffered bouts of seizures,” a medical officer at Eluru Government Hospital told reporters.
The Press Trust of India news agency reported the death of 45-year-old man who was in hospital with symptoms similar to epilepsy and nausea on Sunday evening.
In total 380 have fallen ill and officials are trying to determine the cause of the new illness.
So far, water samples from affected areas have not shown any signs of contamination, although the sick are thought to have collected their water from the same source.
City authorities have also collected samples of milk from various points across Eluru for testing and are monitoring the situation around the clock from a “control room” established specifically for the purpose.
Schools and colleges have been closed and a massive door-to-door survey was launched to identify people who experienced similar symptoms.
According to reports, a note released by Andhra Pradesh’s health department said initial blood tests did not find any evidence of a viral infection, such as Japanese encephalitis, dengue or chikungunya – diseases which are caused by mosquito bites.
State chief minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has visited a government hospital and met patients who were ill. He said that special medical teams are being sent to Eluru to investigate the cause of the illness.
Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu tweeted to demand an “impartial, full-fledged inquiry into the incident”.
He said, “Can there be a more unfortunate & bigger failure than this? The Eluru water contamination incident calls for a declaration of Health Emergency in Andhra Pradesh. Enough.
The #Eluru incident is just the tip of an iceberg. The Govt’s negligence & the deterioration of healthcare services across AP stands exposed today. It’s a shame for any Govt if it can’t provide basic necessities like safe & clean drinking water to our people”
News of the illness comes as India continues to be badly hit by rising coronavirus cases.
According to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the pandemic worldwide, India has recorded more than 9.6 million cases, second only to the US, and more than 140,500 deaths – third to the US and Brazil.
Andhra Pradesh state is among those worst hit by the virus with more than 800,000 detected cases. The health system in the state, like the rest of India, has been overwhelmed by the resulting pressure.
