T'gana mental health institute: 1 dead, 70 complain of vomiting, diarrhoea

One person died and around 70 others suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea at the Telangana government's Institute of Mental Health (IMH) here, officials said.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, prompting an investigation into it.

The patient who died was found unresponsive on Tuesday morning. Despite efforts by medical staff on duty to revive him with CPR, he was later declared dead at the state-run Osmania General Hospital (OGH), Hyderabad District Collector Anudeep Durishetty, who visited the IMH, told reporters.

Nearly 70 other patients have reported vomiting and diarrhoea.

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, the collector added.

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 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.