2 days ago at Eluru state hospital patients with similar symptoms came with some mysterious illness since then 300 cases have been reported. No diagnosis made yet
More than two days after a mysterious illness struck several people in the town of Eluru in the West Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh, authorities remain unaware of its cause.
The casualty room at Eluru State Hospital continued to be overcrowded with patients crying out in frustration, fainting, convulsions and epilepsy as early as 9pm on Monday as ambulance alarms continued to roar on the hospital grounds bringing in more patients.
K Gangadhar (35), who was crying with a headache after returning home from his two-wheeled garage in the Padamata Veedhi area, vomited within minutes of being taken to hospital. “He was not even in a position to sit. He had a concussion and fainted, ”said his sister.
This was the case with 14-year-old T Sekhar, who suffered a severe stroke and fainted. “She was fine until the afternoon. Suddenly, she was crying and having headaches and nausea, ”said her mother Lakshmi.
Jaya Deepthi (16), a Class 10 girl, was breathing and the nurses at the hospital had given her oxygen to help her breathe. "She was terrified as she began to tremble and shiver," said her sister-in-law who took her to hospital.
While the number of patients admitted until Sunday night was 300, it rose to 471 on Monday night and is still being counted.“We have never experienced anything so amusing. Surprisingly, most of them show signs of recovery within hours of being given medication. But more and more patients are being admitted to the hospital because of similar symptoms, ”Dr T Geetha Prasadini, director of public health.
So far, there have been only injuries - of 45-year-old patient Sidhar from Vidyanagar, allegedly due to the mysterious disease. “She was also welcomed with the same symptoms. She was treated in the evening, but soon collapsed. We are awaiting an autopsy report to determine the exact cause, ”said Dr Geetha.
According to him, the majority of patients with symptoms of a mysterious disease were in the 20-30 age group, but there were about 65 children under 12 years of age. Some of the patients were referred to Vijayawada and Guntur hospitals for better treatment.
Several teams of medical professionals, molecular biologists, and public health professionals have arrived in Eluru to find the cause of the disease. A team of doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri, have already collected patients' blood, urine and saliva samples to diagnose the causes of this mysterious disease.
Dr Geetha said drinking water samples from the 32 wards of the ward secretariat, from where most cases are reported, were tested with reports of normal blood samples from patients. “Blood samples taken with Hb, CBP, LFT, RFT and GRBS - were standardized and blood samples were included, and reports were awaited. IgM ELISA virus, Chikungunya, Dengue, HSV-2, and all other sample reports were normal as such. CT scan reports were also normal, ”he said.
The causes of the disease are not yet known. He said cases were reported in Eluru in rural and Denduluru outside the urban Eluru and all ages had the disease. People who drank purified water and mineral water were also infected, he said.
Blood samples from some patients were also sent to the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad for testing. Similarly, experts from the National Institute of Nutrition are also looking at possible food pollution in the area.
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy visited the hospital on Monday and contacted patients and assistants and assured them of all the help. He also reviewed the situation at a meeting with officials.
Later, addressing a review meeting at the zila parishad office here on Monday, Jagan instructed officials to be vigilant and ready to handle any situation. He asked about the treatment given to sick patients, and the steps taken to control the condition.He also inquired about the possible causes of the outbreak and the diagnostic tests performed on patients. He said the chief health officer should sit down and look at the situation.He instructed officials to raise awareness among the public to call the 104 and 108 emergency numbers if anyone has a problem. Medical help should be provided as soon as possible once the call has been received.
Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan formed a three-member team led by AIIMS Head of Health Care Dr Jamshed Nair, National Institute of Virology Specialist Dr Avinash Devashtawar and NDCC deputy director Dr Sanketh Kulakarni. The team will arrive in Eluru on Tuesday to assess the situation.
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