Andhra town hit by ‘mystery’ illness, traces of lead, nickel in blood samples

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Written by Sreenivas Janyala
| Hyderabad |

December 9, 2020 2:00:06 am


Andhra town hit by ‘mystery’ illness, traces of lead, nickel in blood samplesA sufferer on strategy to hospital in Eluru. (Express picture)

AMID THE Covid-19 worry, Eluru, a town in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh with a inhabitants of over three lakhs, has been left shaken by a “mystery” sickness that has affected over 500 folks since Saturday night. In most instances, the signs had been the identical: seizures, adopted by loss of consciousness; and the restoration was fast — they had been able to be discharged inside a pair of hours.

State Health Minister A Okay Krishna Srinivas mentioned of the 510 individuals who had been affected, 430 had been discharged. One loss of life has been reported to date. “I am appealing to people not to panic. The number of patients has come down; less than 40 were reported today. I know people are scared. We are trying to understand what caused it,” he mentioned.

Health officers suspect meals or water contamination. A preliminary report by a group from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has discovered traces of lead and nickel in some blood samples.

“The sample size that we sent to AIIMS was small, but their report indicates the presence of heavy metals like lead and nickel. We have sent more samples and the reports are awaited,” mentioned Dr A V Mohan, superintendent of Eluru Government Hospital.

“The seizures indicate neurological issues. The possibility of heavy metal contamination will be investigated,” mentioned a scientist from the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad.

A multi-disciplinary group from NIN comprising public well being specialists, epidemiologists, microbiologists and meals security specialists, led by Dr J J Babu Geddam, head of the medical epidemiology division, is accumulating samples of water, edible oil and rice.

What is worrying is that the sickness just isn’t confined to a specific space. “If it was water or air-borne, people in a particular area would be affected. However, almost the entire Eluru is affected in this case. In most cases, only one member of the family was affected, which is also puzzling,” mentioned the NIN scientist.

“Almost all the affected persons are from urban Eluru, from about 70 per cent of the town area. Eluru rural and the nearby areas have not been affected. Water samples taken on Sunday were not contaminated, but health officials are going back to these areas to check water and food sources,” mentioned a well being official.

Those who suffered seizures have been left scared and shaken. V Ganesh, 24, a resident of Dakshina Veedhi, mentioned he was afraid of being alone now. “At around 7 am on Sunday, my parents and I were seeing off some relatives. The next thing I remember is waking up at the government hospital at around 11 am. My father says I had a seizure and collapsed. But I was fine by 1 pm, and returned home. I was lucky that my parents were nearby. Now I am afraid to be alone, what if it recurs and there is nobody to help,” he mentioned.

Shakila Begum, 26, a resident of Ashok Nagar, mentioned 5 members of her household fell sick inside a couple of hours on Monday afternoon. “My seven-year-old son vomited after lunch. I gave him a bath and seated him on a chair, but he collapsed immediately. He vomited again and was having a seizure. I remember calling my husband but I too fell unconscious after that. I woke up in an ambulance. Within the next few hours, three other members of our family fell sick in the same way. We think it has something to do with the water because it happened after drinking water or taking a bath,” she mentioned. “We are all very scared and worried. I have been having body ache since then. What if it happens again?” she mentioned.

Kiran Kumar, 44, a police constable of Eluru III Town Police Station, was on obligation on Monday when he had a seizure. “I am fit and healthy and I don’t have any addictions. I remember being on duty, and a few hours later, I woke up at the government hospital. My colleagues told me I shouted something and collapsed. My right shoulder was injured as I fell on the road. I was in a semi-conscious state for about two hours. I was fine after that and returned home. The experience left me shaken, I am feeling weak now,” he mentioned.

V Rama Krishna, a college instructor dwelling in Padamatha colony, mentioned his neighbours left for his or her village after a boy dwelling close by had a seizure.

“Most of the patients suffered genuine epileptic seizures. Some people are saying that it is mass hysteria, but it isn’t. Many of the patients came in with minor head injuries or a black eye as they collapsed suddenly. But most of them were ready to be discharged within a couple of hours,” mentioned Dr A S Ram, nodal officer on the Eluru Government Hospital. Many sufferers complained of gastric issues or stomach ache after the seizures.

Dr Ram mentioned the quantity of sufferers has gone down since Monday night. “On Tuesday, there weren’t many patients. The discharge rate is also high. Within two or three hours, most of them are ready to go home,” he mentioned.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has sought a probe into the presence of lead and nickel particles in some blood samples. “An Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) group can also be working exams and the outcomes are awaited. The Chief Minister has sought a probe into how the lead and nickel particles had been current in the affected space and the way they entered the our bodies of the affected individuals,’’ mentioned a press release from the Chief Minister’s Office.

Health specialists from AIIMS (Delhi), National Institute of Virology (Pune), and the Centre for Disease Control (Delhi) held conferences with state officers on Tuesday and interacted with sufferers.

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