Mystery disease with people fainting strikes Eluru in Andhra Pradesh: What we know so far
Examinations are on to find out whether water contamination led to the sporadic outbreak of this strange illness.
Several people from Eluru, a city in Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari, reported strange illness with symptoms like nausea, foam in mouth since Saturday, triggering fear about this unknown disease at a time when the healthcare system is already burdened with Covid-19 cases. The epilepsy-like symptoms have been so baffling and serious that doctors in Eluru admitted the patients instantly. According to ANI, 140 persons were admitted to Eluru Government Hospital and subsequently discharged after treatment since Saturday night.
So far, 227 people, including 46 children, have been hospitalised. After initial panic, doctors in the government hospital on Sunday said the situation was under control. No case became serious, though the reason of the outbreak still remains unknown.
What we know so far
> Little is known regarding what is causing such symptoms as doctors are also baffled.
> The people who have reported the symptoms are not from the same area and are not related.
> The patients include a wide range of age group. Elderly and children too reported the symptoms.
> The symptoms persist for 10 to 15 minutes, reports said.
> Blood reports of the patients are normal, reports said.
> The patients have also been found Covid-19 negative.
> The areas affected include Kothapeta, Padamara Veedhi, Vangaya Gudem areas.
> Examinations are on to find out whether there has been any contamination is water.
Hinting at a possible case of viral infection, West Godavari district Joint Collector Himanshu Shukla told PTI that CT scan reports of the victims were also normal. Shukla has also said that there was nothing serious so far. While most patients complained of convulsions, headaches, some reported bone dislocations and muscular pains. What serves as the common link among many of the patients is that they all consumed tap water. Many of the patients have been feeling distressed as they don’t remember what happened to them for which psychiatrists and psychologists have also been roped in.
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