Medical team to probe mystery deaths in Andhra Pradesh village

A high-level medical team has been deployed to Turkapalem village in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district after nearly 30 unexplained deaths in five months. Initial tests confirmed two cases of melioidosis, prompting a 15-day medical camp and intensified investigation

Amaravati: A high-level medical team will visit a village in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district to investigate the cause of a series of unexplained deaths in recent months. On the direction of State Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, a team headed by Director of Medical Education G Raghunandan will visit Turkapalem village in Guntur Rural Mandal.

The village recorded about 30 deaths in the last five months. During the last four days, three deaths were reported from this village, which has a population of about 3,000. The investigation conducted so far by the district officials of the Medical and Health Department has not confirmed the cause of death.

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This prompted the Health Minister to depute a team of senior state-level officials of the department to conduct a thorough investigation. He asked the team to look into cases of fever and infection and submit a report.

The medical team will collect blood samples from the families of the deceased and will also send water and other samples for analysis. The village has witnessed a surge of fever cases during the last few weeks. Municipal authorities, in coordination with the Health Department, have taken a series of measures for mosquito eradication. Dozens of workers were participating in a sanitation drive.

Guntur district health officials have also intensified the investigation. A team of specialists from Guntur Medical College has been deployed to trace the source of sickness. Specialists from six departments are part of the team that conducted the investigation.

A team led by Guntur Medical College Principal Sundarachari and District Medical and Health Officer Vijayalakshmi conducted the investigation. They met affected families and collected detailed medical histories related to the patients.

Laboratory tests have reportedly confirmed two cases of melioidosis, a rare but serious bacterial infection, prompting widespread screening and health monitoring. A 15-day medical camp has been established in the village, bringing together experts from microbiology, biochemistry, general medicine, psychiatry, and social and preventive medicine.