hmmmm pass it on
More than 200 struck with mysterious disease in India
There was confusion and panic in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday (December 6), as at least 227 people were admitted to hospital, having contracted an unknown disease. The first case of the mysterious illness was reported on Saturday. Doctors said the symptoms include dizziness, nausea, headache and epilepsy-like symptoms, affecting both young and old alike. The state's health minister who visited Eluru Government General Hospital said the situation is under control, with all patients now reported as stable. Blood samples were sent to labs and no viral infections were detected. All the patients were tested for COVID-19 and all tested negative, according to local media reports. The state government is now focusing on the areas where cases are prevalent and a door-to-door survey is being conducted to monitor condition of the residents.
====================
Hundreds ill, one dead after unidentified disease hits city in India
At least one person has died and 200 others have been hospitalized due to an unidentified illness in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, reports said Monday.
The illness was detected Saturday evening 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 symptoms similar to epilepsy and nausea died Sunday evening, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
Officials are trying to determine the cause of the illness. So far, water samples from impacted areas haven’t shown any signs of contamination, and the chief minister's office said people not linked to the municipal water supply have also fallen ill. The patients are of different ages and have tested negative for COVID-19 and other viral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya or herpes.
An expert team deputed by the federal government reached the city to investigate the sudden illness Monday.
State chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy visited a government hospital and met patients who were ill. Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu demanded on Twitter an “impartial, full-fledged inquiry into the incident.”
Andhra Pradesh state is among those worst hit by COVID-19, with over 800,000 detected cases. The health system in the state, like the rest of India, has been frayed by the virus.
=====================================================
Hundreds hospitalised with 'mystery illness' in Andhra Pradesh
Local people are blaming an anti-mosquito spraying campaign for a mystery illness that has hospitalised more than 300 people in a city in southern India.
A 45-year-old man died of epilepsy-type symptoms and hundreds of others complained of nausea, burning eyes and seizures in the town of Eluru in Andhra Pradesh.
A report released by the district collector said that as many as 340 people have fallen sick since Saturday night, with 157 still undergoing treatment.
Locals in Eluru, which is known as mosquito city, have said authorities in the past week were spraying anti-mosquito chemicals in the area.
One local man, Dhananjay Kumar, said: "Authorities have been spraying anti-mosquito chemicals in the area, creating a massive fog. It seems the chemicals sprayed by authorities led to the disease.”
However, health officials in Andhra Pradesh say the exact cause of the illness is unknown.
"We were informed by some locals that anti-mosquito spray resulted in the infection. As of now, I can only say the exact cause of the disease is not known yet. We have sent samples to AIIMS, New Delhi and expect the reports on Tuesday morning, " said a senior health official in Andhra Pradesh.
Blood tests and brain scans of the infected patients could not establish the cause of the disease and health authorities have ruled out water contamination.
All of those who were hospitalised have tested negative for Covid-19, according to the state’s Health Minister, Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas.
Andhra Pradesh has the third-highest caseload of any state in India with 800,000, despite being the 10th most populous state.
“We ruled out water contamination or air pollution as the cause after officials visited the areas where people fell sick,” Mr Srinivas said.
He added that both blood and water samples have been sent off for lab analysis. The Andhra Pradesh Health Department released a statement saying that initial tests did not reveal any viral infection. This rules out diseases such as dengue or chikungunya, which are both caused by mosquito bites.
However, the state’s former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has called for a full inquiry into the outbreak, pointing to water contamination as the likely cause.
“I demand an impartial, full-fledged inquiry into the incident,” he wrote on Twitter. “The Eluru water contamination incident calls for a declaration of Health Emergency in Andhra Pradesh.”
A report in the Indian Express claimed that a case of contaminated water was reported in Eluru 10 days prior to the hospitalisations.
The current Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy said specialist medical teams have been dispatched and are conducting door-to-door surveys in order to get control of the situation.
Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to comment, even if you disagree with me ( smile )