Hundreds admitted to hospital due to mysterious illness in Indian town

One person was reportedly killed while 227 were hospitalised due to a mysterious illness in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, reported BBC.

Doctors told the BBC that the patients, from the small town of Eluru, have been admitted with multiple symptoms ranging from nausea to fits and falling unconscious. While officials are investigating the cause of the illness.

"The people who fell sick, especially the children, suddenly started vomiting after complaining of burning eyes. Some of them fainted or suffered bouts of seizures," a medical officer at Eluru Government Hospital told The Indian Express newspaper.

The officials have said that 70 people have been discharged, while another 157 are still under treatment.

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy shared that special medical teams are being sent to Eluru to investigate the cause of the illness. He is also expected to visit the town to meet the patients and their families.

Coronavirus has been ruled out as the cause, as the state's health minister, Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, said that all the patients were negative for coronavirus.

The health minister also said that the patients' blood samples showed that there was no evidence of a viral infection.

"We ruled out water contamination or air pollution as the cause after officials visited the areas where people fell sick," he said. "It is some mystery illness and only lab analysis will reveal what it is."

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Meanwhile, the opposition Telugu Desam Party has called for an enquiry into the incident claiming that the illness was due to contamination.