Rajamahendravaram: The death toll in the suspected milk adulteration incident in East Godavari district has risen to 13, while seven people are still receiving treatment in hospitals in Rajamahendravaram, an official said on Thursday.
Health Ministry officials said the cluster of cases was first noticed on February 22 after several elderly people were admitted to hospitals with symptoms such as anuria, vomiting, abdominal pain and severe renal dysfunction requiring dialysis.
Residents of Chudeswaranagar and Swaroopanagar areas of Lacheruvu reportedly fell ill after consuming suspected adulterated milk supplied in the area.
“The death toll in the suspected milk adulteration case in East Godavari district has reached 13, while seven people are undergoing treatment in hospitals in Rajamahndravaram,” the official said.
Authorities cited strong epidemiological indicators pointing to milk adulteration as the likely cause, and multiple departments began taking coordinated action.
They said that medical examinations revealed high levels of blood urea and blood creatinine in the infected people, which indicates the possibility of exposure to poisoning.
Initial investigations indicated that milk consumption was the primary source of exposure. Milk was reportedly supplied to nearly 106 families by Varalakshmi Milk Dairy at Narasapuram village in Kurukunda mandal, following which the supply was immediately stopped.
Officials said emergency medical camps have been set up in the affected areas, with doctors and ambulance services deployed around the clock.
Rapid response teams comprising district surveillance officer, doctors, microbiologists, paediatricians, forensic experts, epidemiologists and nephrologists have been formed to deal with the situation.
On the other hand, the Food Safety Department inspected the catering-related dairy unit and collected samples of milk, paneer, ghee, drinking water and vinegar for monitoring and enforcement.
The samples were sent to laboratories, including JNTU Kakinada and VIMTA Labs in Hyderabad for analysis of microbial, physico-chemical and toxic substances.
The officials added that blood and urine samples from the infected people have also been sent for detailed toxicological examination.
The suspected milkman, Adala Ganeswararao, a resident of Narasapuram village, was arrested and the dairy unit linked to the supplies was sealed.
Clues and forensic teams searched the premises, while post-mortem samples were sent to the regional forensic laboratory in Vijayawada. Police said an investigation is underway to trace the distribution network and identify affected consumers.
The Animal Husbandry Department also formed a team of four veterinarians, collected 41 milk samples as well as samples of livestock fodder and water, and sent them to the Veterinary Biological Research Institute in Vijayawada for analysis.
Meanwhile, the police have registered a case under Section 194 of BNSS and Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
