Key points:
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy conducted a video conference in Amaravati with medical professionals.
- The first case of this disease with symptoms such as seizures, giddiness, and froth in the mouth was registered on December 5.
- In its study, the Institute of Preventive Medicine found no heavy metals in milk.
- The symptoms lasted for 10-15 minutes in most cases, and the patients were unable to recall what had happened to them.
A study carried out by different groups of experts found some anomalies in the food eaten by the victims a week after the strange disease broke out in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru, which had already killed one and sickened more than 600 people.
The report by state Government:
The state government is going through the news, as well as on Friday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy conducted a video conference in Amaravati with medical professionals. On December 10, two admitted individuals with identical symptoms died, but the state said that they had other health problems.
What exactly caused the strange outbreak:
It has decreased the number of daily cases. Just four cases were registered on Friday, bringing the total count to 613. Thirteen of them are under care, while the remainder has been discharged. The state government said though that it is not yet clear what exactly induced the strange outbreak, as it is waiting for comprehensive reports.
What does the report show?
> In the victims’ blood samples, AIIMS and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology found lead and nickel, but they found nothing in the water.
> Traces of mercury in rice and pesticides and deposits of herbicides in excess amounts in vegetables have been identified by the National Institute of Nutrition. It also detected organophosphorus residues in the blood but said that how they reached humans had to be examined.
> The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board’s review of ambient air quality and water showed no presence of heavy metal in the water.
> In its study, the Institute of Preventive Medicine found no heavy metals in milk.
>While water contamination is excluded in the initial results, the CM has repeatedly asked experts to check drinking water samples as a private laboratory based in Vijayawada indicated that the drinking water provided to areas such as Gandhi Colony, Pension Line Area, Ramachandra Rao Peta, as well as J P Colony contained large quantities of different pesticide residues, thousands of times more than the permissible limits.
>The indiscriminate usage of pesticides, as well as insecticides, can cause organochlorine and organophosphorus poisoning.
> There is a proposal by the state government to
educate local farmers on organic farming.
> Experts are also examining whether the improper use of chlorine and
bleaching powder has contributed to the poisoning in the Covid-19 sanitation programs.
A 21-member multidisciplinary committee, headed by Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, has also been appointed by the state government to thoroughly investigate the source of the infection.
The first case of this disease was registered on December 5:
The first case of this disease with symptoms such as seizures, giddiness, and froth in the mouth was registered on December 5. Soon, related symptoms requiring emergency medical attention were reported by several individuals. The symptoms lasted for 10-15 minutes in most cases, and the patients were unable to recall what had happened to them.
