The mystery disease outbreak in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru town which has resulted in one death and more than 561 persons getting hospitalised continues to cause concern to the local people, doctors, healthcare officials and the administration.
Except for 100 still undergoing treatment at local hospitals most of those admitted have been discharged after treatment.
A joint team from National Institute of Virology, Pune, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and AIIMS New Delhi apart from a two member team from WHO assisted by local authorities are closely monitoring the situation.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who had visited the town and met with some of the victims yesterday, enquired about the progress made in finding out the cause of the disease spread.
He directed the officials to be vigilant and conduct all the possible tests to find the cause of such illness in the locals in one area of Eluru town.
High levels of lead, nickel
The officials informed that lead and nickel particulate matter was found in the blood samples of the patients in an investigation conducted by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) team.
The results of another set of tests conducted by the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) are awaited. Following updates on the developments, the Chief Minister instructed the officials to submit a detailed report on the illness, tests conducted and the treatment being offered along with the reports of tests conducted on the milk and water which they consumed, having potentially caused this illness.
He directed the authorities to inquire on how lead and nickel particles could have got into the bodies of the people of that region and asked them to conduct a detailed study.
The Public Health personnel and other department staff were also called in to probe the issue and find out the reasons for the illness.