Andhra Pradesh: More than 450 people have been rushed to hospitals in the past 48 hours post an unidentified disease outbreak in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh. Having claimed a life already, the outbreak is being suspected, as per the reports, to be caused by the chemical, DDT, generally found in Organochlorine pesticides.

So far, the majority of the infected population were found to be between the age of 20-30 years besides 45 children below 12 years of age.

Common Symptoms Observed 

As per the initial observations, reported patients suffered from fits and nausea followed by sudden fainting. Additional symptoms include epilepsy and memory loss for a span of 3-5 minutes, with a mild headache, back pain, vomiting, and anxiety.

Recovery Rate

Over 140 patients have already been discharged after the necessary treatment. The remaining patients at the hospitals are also observed to be in a stable condition. While none of the admitted patients tested positive for Covid-19, an exclusive team of medical experts has been rushed to Eluru to treat the victims. Also, a door to door survey has been initiated to identify prospective patients, well in advance.

CM Y.S. Jagan on the ground

After interacting with the affected people on his visit to GGH, Eluru, CM Jagan addressed a high-level meeting, alerting the officials to be on toes for any situation that could arise. He assured the patients of all the essential help, on their road to recovery.

CentreÂs Action

A team of three medical experts has been rushed to Eluru to assess the ground reality of the situation and accordingly formulate a further plan of action. The mentioned team comprises namely, Dr. Sanket Kulkarni, the deputy director and a public health expert from the National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi; Dr. Avinash Deoshtawar, a virologist from the National Institute of Virology, Pune and Dr. Jamshed Nayar, an associate professor (emergency medicine) from AIIMS. A team from the Indian Council of Medical Research is soon expected to be there as well.

Steps being taken

A 24 x 7 control room has been set up in Eluru for timely monitoring of the outbreak situation. Milk samples were collected at random and sent for examination to Vijayawada. Experts from the National Institute of Nutrition and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad are expected to dive in for a detailed diagnosis of the cause behind the disease.

Despite the sheer unexpectedness of this abrupt outbreak, the situation on the ground in Eluru seems to be in control as per the present statistics. Both Centre and the state governments are rigorously working to tackle the existing and possible foreseen situations on this front. However, the impact of this mysterious disease at its peak potential is yet to be estimated.