Published 19:38 IST, December 7th 2020
Andhra Pradesh: Central team to visit Eluru to investigate mysterious disease
A three-member team of medical experts from the Centre has been scheduled to visit Andhra Pradesh's Eluru to investigate the sudden mysterious illness
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A three-member team of medical experts from the Central Government has been scheduled to visit Andhra Pradesh's Eluru on Tuesday to investigate the sudden mysterious illness which affected 292 people on Sunday including one fatality, while the number of people affected rose to 347 on Monday. The decision was taken after Vice President Venkaiah Naidu spoke to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.
The Centre is rushing a 3-member team of medical experts to Eluru in Andhra Pradesh after Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today spoke to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan after many children were hospitalised with an undiagnosed illness in the past few days: VP's Secretariat
— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2020
The 3-member team of medical experts include Dr Jamshed Nayar -- Associate Professor (Emergency Medicine) from AIIMS, Dr Avinash Deoshtawar -- Virologist, NIV PUNE and Dr Sanket Kulkarni -- Deputy Director, PH Expert from NCDC, Delhi. The team is said to reach on Tuesday morning and submit a preliminary report by the evening.
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About the mysterious illness
An unknown disease has begun spreading in Eluru in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district affecting 347 people including women and children since Sunday. Reportedly, people from the area suddenly started becoming unconscious after suffering from headaches, vomiting, giddiness and epilepsy-like symptoms.
Although, it is being said that anti-mosquito fogging may have caused the disease spread but nothing has yet been confirmed officially. Earlier, water contamination was said to be the cause which was later ruled out on Sunday by Deputy CM A K K Srinivas (Nani) citing sample tests. The cause of the mysterious illness, however, is yet to be established. After talking to experts at the AIIMS in New Delhi, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao has stated that poisonous organochlorine substances could most likely be the cause of the illness.
Most of the victims were said to be in the age group of 20-30 years while there were about 45 children below the age of 12 years, according to PTI. Earlier on Monday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy visited the Government General Hospital in Eluru and interacted with those afflicted by the mysterious illness.
The cause is yet to be ascertained even after performing blood tests and CT (brain) scans while the reports of the Cerebral Spinal Fluid tests also turned out to be normal. Authorities are hoping the culture test rests might help in understanding the cause of the mysterious illness and the E-Coli results were also awaited.
A team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences from Mangalagiri visited the hospital and collected blood samples from the patients for a thorough examination. Close to 200 patients had been discharged from hospital after treatment.
(With inputs from Agencies)
19:38 IST, December 7th 2020