FOLLOW US

At least one person has died and more than 300 people have fallen sick after a mysterious illness swept India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Officials have yet to determine the cause of the unidentified illness which saw a surge in the numbers of people being hospitalized over the weekend in the town of Eluru.

Reports of the outbreak come on the heels of the country’s continued battle with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. India holds the world's second-highest COVID-19 caseload.

The patients reportedly experienced a wide range of symptoms from nausea to fits and shivering.

About 170 of the patients have since been discharged from the hospital, but vulnerable sectors like children and the elderly remain admitted.

Experts from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and a neurologist from out of state have begun to arrive in Eluru to conduct further neurotoxic tests, and are awaiting the results of the exams.

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, on Monday, visited the patients who were admitted to hospitals.

Reddy pledged more medical resources during his visit to Eluru, adding that the government has set up a 24/7 control room to address the burgeoning problem there.

https://twitter.com/anusha_puppala/status/1335842242439782402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1335842242439782402%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-42043315123969507020.ampproject.net%2F2011200012001%2Fframe.html

The individual who died from the mysterious illness was a 45-year-old man who was admitted to the Government General Hospital in Eluru on Sunday morning. He reportedly experienced nausea and epilepsy.

A probe into the cause of the still unknown continues. The state's deputy health minister claimed tests do not point to widespread water contamination as the cause.

----------------------------------------

Have a story you want USA Herald to cover? Submit a tip here and if we think it's newsworthy, we'll follow up on it.

Want to contribute a story? We also accept article submissions – check out our writer's guidelines here.