India: One dead, 400 hospitalized due to unknown infection

New Delhi: One person has died and more than 400 have been hospitalised in southern India due to an unidentified infection that caused many to fall unconscious following seizures and nausea, a senior health department official said on Monday.

“The children reportedly suffered from dizziness, fainting spells, headache and vomiting,” the ministry said, adding that a door-to-door survey was also underway.

The state health department were alerted to the first case over the weekend following the death of a 45-year old man, said Geeta Prasadini, a public health director in Andhra Pradesh state.

“We have taken the patients’ blood samples for serological investigation and bacterial investigation to rule out any type of meningitis,” Prasadini told Reuters.

Authorities were investigating water supplies at 20 locations within the city of Eluru where the outbreak was first reported as well as neighbouring areas, she added.

The state of Andhra Pradesh is also among the worst-affected by COVID-19 in the country.

India, which has recorded 9.68 million COVID-19 infections, is just behind the United States in the global tally.