593 affected due to mystery illness, WHO team visits Andhra Pradesh

VIJAYWADA: The number of cases due to a mysterious illness in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, has reached 593 on Wednesday, December 12. The symptoms of the disease include three to five minutes of epileptic fits, forgetfulness, anxiety, vomiting, headache, etc. Until now, around 22 water samples have been tested which showed E Coli to be normal but pesticide, organochlorine, has been found.

A team of four constituted by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) has been appointed at Eluruand a 2member team of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also arrived in the city. 10 blood samples tested for heavy metals after the breakout found the presence of lead and nickel. An official statement said that 40 new blood and urine samples were sent to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi for further investigation. Researchers are waiting for the results of 20 samples of vegetables sent to NIN, Hyderabad. 10 cellular and molecular analysis samples have also been sent to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad.

Officials are yet to find a conclusion on the cause of Eluru’s mysterious disease but it is expected that lead or organochlorine or a combination of both might have caused the infection.