The Centre is rushing a three-member team of medical experts to Eluru in Andhra Pradesh after the Vice President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today spoke to Union Health Minister, Shri Harsh Vardhan after scores of children were hospitalised with an undiagnosed illness in the past few days. 

On seeing reports of more than 300 children becoming ill, the Vice President initially spoke to the district collector for firsthand information. He later spoke to the Director, AIIMS at Mangalagiri and Director, AIIMS Delhi and was informed that blood samples of the children were sent to Delhi. 

Subsequently, the Vice President spoke to Shri Harsh Vardhan and asked him to extend all necessary help in diagnosing and providing treatment to the afflicted children. The minister assured him that all steps would be taken to find out the cause of the illness once the lab reports are received. 

The Union Health Minister and the Director of AIIMS assured the Vice President that treatment would be taken up upon diagnosis of the illness on receiving the reports of the blood samples.  

The District Collector, Revu Mutyala Raju informed the Vice President that necessary measures were being taken to ascertain the reasons for the illness among the children. He said that a door-to-door survey was being conducted and medical teams from Guntur and Krishna Districts were pressed into service. 

The children reportedly suffered from dizziness, fainting spells, headache and vomiting.

The Vice President was also informed that  a poison control team from AIIMS had discussed with the Doctors at Eluru regarding the incidence yesterday. 

The Union Health Ministry informed  that in the wake of the available epidemiological and clinical data from the district, the following central team members are being sent: 

1. Dr. Jamshed Nayar, Associate Professor (Emergency Medicine) from AIIMS, 

2. Dr Avinash Deoshtawar, Virologist, NIV PUNE 

3. Dr. Sanket Kulkarni, Dy. Director, PH Expert from NCDC, Delhi

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MS/DP