Mystery illness hits West Godavari as over 20 report symptoms

The villages of Pulla and Komirepalle, near the town of Eluru in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, have been affected with a mystery illness causing epileptic episodes followed by vomiting or unconsciousness. It may be recalled that a mystery illness had swept the town of Eluru in December last year.

According to reports, about 22 victims in Komirepalle village have reported the said symptoms. Mentioning the demographics, the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, Aditya Nath Das, stated that the affected include 14 men, 8 women, with the youngest victim being 12 years old and the oldest one over 35 years.

With the samples of water showing no alarming results, reports of the tests conducted on samples of rice, vegetables, meat etc are yet to come, stated West Godavari district Collector, Mutyala Raju Revu. Additionally, blood samples of the first set of patients reporting symptoms of the ailment were also collected.

Sharing the details of the actions taken, Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, Health Minister of Andhra Pradesh, informed that apart from the special ward set up in Eluru, close to 7 ambulances and 2 medical camps, with a team of 10 doctors and 20 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), have been sent forth to the affected areas. Speaking about the trend, he added, with the illness emerging in areas significantly apart, experts are less inclined towards the possibility of the source being food or air pollution.

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, is scheduled to meet senior officials, along with Principal Secretary Anil Kumar Singhal and Health Commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar at the affected areas to review the situation.