Around 15 persons in Ternekal village of Andhra’s Kurnool district have fallen sick with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea in the past four days, causing anxiety among the residents. One of the affected persons, a 62-year-old man named Venkatesh, died while undergoing treatment at Kurnool GGH (Government General Hospital) on Tuesday. Authorities have said that the illness could have been caused by consumption of stale food. Water samples have been sent to a regional lab to test for water contamination.
Kurnool District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr Venkata Ramana said that the complaints of illness started coming to light on February 21. “So far, around 8 persons have been admitted to hospitals in Kurnool, Yemmiganur and Adoni. All of them are undergoing treatment and are stable,” he said. Speaking about the death of one of the affected persons, the DMHO said the 62-year-old who had died had also been suffering from diabetes and hypertension. While two new cases surfaced on Wednesday, all the affected persons are stable and recovering, he said.
Medical camps have been set up at Ternekal village in Devanakonda mandal, according to Venkata Ramana, and door-to-door visits are being done to treat anyone with similar symptoms.
Some residents have reportedly alleged that the water from the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation department was contaminated. “Water supply from the overhead tanks has been stopped. Drinking water is now being supplied through water tankers. The water tanks are being cleaned and chlorinated, as we await the results of the water sample tests,” the DMHO said.
According to the DMHO, the affected persons had attended a function together on February 20, where they might have consumed stale food which could have led to possible food poisoning.
Earlier, in three different villages of West Godavari district in the state, several residents had reported symptoms similar to the mysterious illness that had surfaced in early December in Eluru town nearby. The symptoms in West Godavari included seizures, loss of consciousness and foaming at the mouth.
Earlier in July, around 76 residents of Magatapalem village in the Paderu ITDA (Integrated Tribal Development Agency) region near Visakhapatnam suffered food poisoning after consuming contaminated meat.