One person died and more than 315, including several women and children, have been admitted to the Government General Hospital (GGH) here following an undiagnosed illness in the last couple of days.
The number of in-patients, which was 55 on Saturday midnight and 170 by Sunday morning, rose to 270 by evening and 315 by midnight.
Unconfirmed reports said 50 more were undergoing treatment in various private hospitals.
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Patients developed dizziness, headache and epilepsy-like symptoms. Most of the cases reported were from Kobbari Thota, Kothapeta, Toorpu Veedhi and Arundhatipeta, doctors treating the patients said.
Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had enquired about the situation.
A house-to-house survey was being taken up and the situation was under control, the Minister said, adding about 170 were discharged.
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Seven patients were rushed to Vijayawada for better treatment and their condition was stable, he said.
Medical teams from various hospitals in West Godavari and Krishna districts, staff of ward secretariats and officials of the revenue and police departments rushed to the colonies and were attending on the patients in the camps arranged on the streets.
Negative for COVID-19
“Water, food and blood samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). The reports are awaited. CT scan and X-ray reports of the parents are normal. COVID-19 tests were conducted for all the patients and the results were negative,” doctors said.
Collector Revu Mutyala Raju, SP K. Narayan Naik, Joint Collector Himanshu Shukla, senior civil judge D. Balakrishnaiah and other officials visited the government hospital and enquired about the health condition of the patients.
Helpline
Mr. Shukla said call centres had been set up at the Eluru municipal office. Residents may call over phone nos. 9154565529 and 9154592617 in case of an emergency.
“GGH superintendent A.V.R. Mohan and district coordinator of hospital services Dr. Mohan Rao are monitoring the situation round the clock,” said Mr. Shukla.
“Patients are complaining of giddiness and headache. The recovery rate is good and there is no need for panic,” said District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Dr. Sunanda.
Unguturu MLA Vasu Babu, RDO Panabaka Rachana and Indian Red Cross Society chairman M. Jaya Prakash were among those monitoring the situation in the affected areas.