Telangana: One patient dead, 70 complain of diarrhoea at Institute of Mental Health

Hyderabad, Jun 3 (PTI) A patient died and about 70 others suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea at the Telangana government's Institute of Mental Health (IMH) here on Tuesday, officials said.

The patient who died was found motionless in the morning and medical personnel on duty tried to revive him by performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), but in vain, they said.

He was shifted to the state-run Osmania General Hospital (OGH) where doctors declared that he had already died, Hyderabad District Collector Anudeep Durishetty, who visited the IMH, told reporters.

The cause of death is under investigation, the officials said.

About 65-70 other patients have reported vomiting and diarrhoea by Tuesday evening, Durishetty said.

Two patients whose blood pressure was low were admitted to the OGH and their condition was not serious, he said.

The remaining patients were under observation in the mental hospital and a special team of doctors has been called to attend to them. All the patients are stable, he said.

The district collector said water samples from the source in the IMH were sent to the state government's Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) and the reports did not indicate any problem.

Other samples collected from the water distribution network were sent for analysis and the reports are awaited, he said.

As the samples of food consumed by the patients on Monday was not available, the stool and vomit analysis of the patients was being done to ascertain if any food poisoning occurred, the officials said.

The cause of the problem would be known after reports are received, the district collector said, adding that an alternative water source has been arranged.

Meanwhile, state Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha enquired with officials about the matter and gave necessary directions, official sources said. PTI SJR DIV KVK KVK