Authorities in India are investigating more than 300 people who were hospitalized due to an unidentified illness.
An outbreak took place over the weekend in the city of Eluru, which is located in the eastern state of Andhra Pradesh, and patients presented a wide array of symptoms, including nausea, seizures, and loss of consciousness, according to CNN.
Although the city of 215,000 has grappled with the coronavirus pandemic, the patients with the mysterious symptoms did not test positive for COVID-19.
“All patients have tested negative for Covid-19,” said Dolla Joshi Roy, the district surveillance officer of Eluru’s West Godavari District. He noted that 180 of the patients have been released from the hospital, and the others are in stable condition.
Roy said that the water is being tested in the city as officials believe that all of the patients appeared to use the same source.
The Times of India reported on Monday that a preliminary analysis of tests showed that “organochlorine substances” may be behind the strange illness, although further tests are being carried out.
When asked whether an organochlorine substance was behind the hospitalizations, a top official told the newspaper, “Mostly yes, but we are waiting for the laboratory report [for confirmation].
Organochlorine pesticides are synthetic and have been used for decades in agriculture and mosquito control. One such substance is DDT, which was used in the United States to kill mosquitoes but was banned given its toxicity and concerns about environmental harm.
Most of those suffering from the sudden illness were between the ages of 20 and 30. Nearly four dozen of the victims were below the age of 12.
