Amravati: One person has died and more than 400 have been hospitalised in Andhra Pradesh due to an unidentified infection in and around the city of Eluru. The infection has caused many to fall unconscious following seizures and nausea, a senior Andhra Pradesh Health Department official said Monday.
Government and medical authorities said that more than 200 people were discharged at the weekend. However, tests have proved that they were not infected by the novel coronavirus. Further serological tests are underway.
“The causes of the outbreak are not known yet,” the Andhra Pradesh government said in a statement. It added that people in all age groups appeared prone to the infection.
Separately, the Union Health Ministry said Monday it would send a team of three medical experts to investigate the outbreak. The disease has infected more than 300 children, it said.
“The children reportedly suffered from dizziness, fainting spells, headaches and vomiting,” the Union Health Ministry said. It added that a door-to-door survey was also underway.
The Andhra Pradesh health department was alerted to the first case over the weekend following the death of a 45-year old man, said Geeta Prasadini, a public health director.
“We have taken the patients’ blood samples for serological investigation and bacterial investigation to rule out any type of meningitis,” Prasadini said Monday.
Authorities were investigating water supplies at 20 locations within the city of Eluru where the outbreak was first reported as well as neighbouring areas, she added.
