Over 300 Hospitalized After ‘Mysterious Illness’ Hits India

• An “unknown illness” has hit the city of Eluru in India, leading to the hospitalization of over 300 and the death of a 45-year-old man.
• Patients complained of experiencing fatigue, nausea, and seizures.
• Investigations and different tests are currently being conducted to determine the real cause of the problem.

An unidentified illness in southeastern India has led to the hospitalization of more than 300 patients over the weekend. This has been confirmed by local authorities investigating the matter.

According to reports, residents in the Eluru city in the state of Andhra Pradesh have complained of various symptoms such as seizures, nausea, fatigue, and loss of consciousness.

West Godavari District surveillance officer Doll Joshi Roy told the public that they have already ruled out coronavirus as the possible culprit.

Roy pointed out:

“All patients have tested negative for Covid-19.”

Roy further shared that around 180 patients have already been discharged while the remaining ones are now “stable.”

On the other hand, a 45-year-old patient who died reportedly had a fatal but unrelated cardiac arrest, said a CNN article.

As of this writing, officials are looking at all possible angles to determine the root of the problem.

Andhra Pradesh’s Health Department has released a statement mentioning that initial tests did not discover any traces of viral infections such a dengue. Now they’ve started testing water samples in Eluru to see if contamination has occurred.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences specialists and a neurologist from outside the state have arrived in the city to conduct neurotoxic tests.

“The cause is still unknown but still we are doing all kinds of testing, including testing food and milk,” Roy pointed out.

On Monday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy paid a visit to those admitted because of the illness.

This new health issue comes as India continues to struggle against Covid-19, with a total of 9.7 million and 141,000 deaths. The country has the world’s second highest number of infections, next to the United States.

Watch this report by BBC News: