AIIMS, WHO teams roped in to probe Eluru mystery fever

AIIMS, WHO teams roped in to probe Eluru mystery fever

U.Sudhakarreddy@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad: 08.12.2020

City-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) scientists and those from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have been roped in to detect the cause of a mysterious sickness that has hit Eluru, leaving one dead and more than 450 in hospital. Blood samples from patients were sent to CCMB Hyderabad and AIIMS for tests. A central three-member team is arriving on Tuesday to probe the mystery sickness, and a WHO team is also looking into the case.

“We have received the blood samples of the patients from Eluru. Doctors have not yet been able to figure it out. We will explore any infection in the samples,” CCMB director Rakesh Mishra told TOI.

It began on Saturday with 45 people from four different localities in Eluru exhibiting symptoms not connected to any known disease. People complained of seizures, sudden loss of consciousness, frothing and shivering.

“If it is a bacteria or virus or fungus, we can find out and isolate the causative. It may take a few days as the process is complicated,” the CCMB director said, adding that it was unlikely to be due to mass hysteria. “Other than in infectious disease, people don't recover so quickly. It can’t be chemical contamination or excessive use of disinfectant, water or cyclic malaria fever. We can’t conclude without the tests,” he said. Andhra Pradesh health minister Alla Nani said that so far the illness had not spread from person to person. “People from other areas, where Eluru municipality water is not distributed, have also fallen ill. People who drink packaged drinking water daily also got sick. About 22 freshwater samples were tested and the reports were normal,” AP officials said.

IN THE DARK: Patients at the district hospital in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh

Dad gives phone for e-class, teen daughter finds his affair video

Dad gives phone for e-class, teen daughter finds his affair video

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mandya: 08.12.2020

Lending his smartphone to his 17-year-old daughter proved disastrous for a rowdy-sheeter from Mandya district who was clandestinely having an extramarital affair. The girl, who chanced upon an intimate video of her father with another woman— that too a relative— told her mother who now wants to end the 18-year-old marriage.

While the wife has sought a divorce, the man is adamant to be reunited with his family. Cops and voluntary organisations have been trying to broker peace between them but in vain so far. The couple has two daughters aged 15 and 17.

The well-kept secret unravelled in October when the man gave his smartphone to his older daughter, a Class XII student, for her online lessons. While going through the phone’s contents, the teen found the video and told her mother, who approached police and women’s organisations seeking action against her husband. A non-cognizable report was subsequently filed.

Since adultery is no longer an offence, the man cannot be proceeded against on that count, as demanded by the wife, said a police officer. We have to ascertain if he filmed the video without the woman’s consent or if he forwarded it to other devices,” an officer said.

Govt allows buses to operate with 100% seating capacity

Govt allows buses to operate with 100% seating capacity

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 08.12.2020

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday passed an order allowing state transport undertakings and private bus operators to run buses with 100% seating capacity. Till now, occupancy was restricted to 60% of the seating capacity.

This order will be applicable for those operators engaged to transport employees of private companies and schools and colleges as well. State transport undertakings can now operate more number of bus services as well by following all standard operating procedures as mandated in the May 31, 2020 government order. This decision comes after deliberations which indicated that buses need to have more available seats as there is an expected increase in the number of commuters.

Around one-third of its fleet strength has been kept idle by Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) which runs bus services in Chennai. MTC owns 3,300 buses.

Though patronage has been improving, officials said many services, especially on uneconomical routes run half-empty even during peak hours.

The transport corporation was operating 600 extra buses to ensure that the standard operating procedures could be followed.

Now, with all seats allowed to be filled, it is likely that the number of services may increase.

This order will be applicable for those operators engaged to transport employees of private companies and schools and colleges as well

Phone seller delivers empty box, arrested

Phone seller delivers empty box, arrested

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 08.12.2020

An 18-year-old student of an arts college was arrested for cheating a woman while selling a phone. The boy had handed over the woman an empty box and collected cash.

Police said Padmapriya, 45, a resident of Taylors Road, Kodambakkam, was browsing the internet for phones at a cheaper price.

Padmapriya came across an advertisement and contacted the seller. She gave her address and asked the person to deliver her the phone. The seller said he would collect the money after delivering the phone, said an investigating officer.

On Sunday morning, a youth came to her house, handed over a box and took ₹20,000. When Padmapriya opened the box, she found it empty. She raised alarm and her neighbours caught hold of the man. They bashed him up and handed him over to the police.

Police identified the man as Nithesh Kumar of Kottur. He was arrested and produced before a magistrate who sent him to judicial custody.

Tejas Exp rolls into Egmore stn with severed leg

Tejas Exp rolls into Egmore stn with severed leg

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 08.12.2020

A leg, severed from the thigh of a man’s body, was recovered from the undercarriage of a compartment of a Tejas Express train which arrived at Egmore railway station on Monday morning.

The government railway police from the station sent the leg to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for an autopsy. The GRP officials sent a message to all railway police stations seeking information about any death on the railway tracks in the state.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that a man, aged about 40, was found dead near the Dindigul railway station and a GRP team recovered the body. Police informed the Chennai GRP team that one leg was missing from the body.

The Tejas express train started from Madurai on Sunday night and it dragged the leg from Dindigul to Chennai Egmore for about 431km, said police.

The police team has taken samples from the leg which has been preserved. Doctors will check if it was severed from the body recovered from Dindigul.

The government railway police have registered a case.

Chennai may get light rain for two days

Chennai may get light rain for two days

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:08.12.2020

After two storms and the second highest rainfall recorded at the Nungambakkam weather station since 2015, the city’s weather may still not be calm. It rained on Monday night in some areas and weathermen have forecast light spells of rain for at least the next 48 hours.

Private forecasters and bloggerssaidthestate may see a break in monsoon for about eightdaysstarting from December 9.

On Monday, IMD said the low pressure area over the Gulf of Mannar, which has weakened in stages from Cyclone Burevi, has become less marked. “However, the associated cyclonic circulation persists over the same area and now extends up to 3.1km above mean sea level,” said IMD’s bulletin.

For the next 48 hours, the agency has forecast light rain in some areasof thecity with partly cloudy skies. Maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 30o C and 24 o C. As for the rest of the state, the agency has forecast light to moderate rain to occur at a few places for the next two days.

As of Monday, Nungambakkam had recorded 1003.7mm since October 1, which is 249.7mm excess for the season so far. The previous highest was in 2015 when the city weather station registered around 1663mm that resulted in floods. Meenambakkam has so far recorded 896.3mm since October 1 which is 211mm in excess. Other locations which recorded high rainfall includes DGP office with 1451.5mm, Red Hills 986.2mm, Tambaram 905.9mm, Chembarambakkam 706.5mm, Mahabalipuram 955.4mm and Kelambakkam 787.8mm.

As of Monday 8.30am, Nungambakkam recorded 3.8mm and Meenambakkam 7.7mm. Weathermen said the city has been receiving some morning spells and while the rest of the day is relatively dry due to the incoming easterly winds converging closer to the coast during the day and moving to interior regions later in the day. “This is likely to continue for the next two days,” an official said.

WET WEATHER TO REMAIN: It will continue to rain in Chennai

‘Are new govt medical college buildings following norms?’

‘Are new govt medical college buildings following norms?’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:08.12.2020

Wondering whether guidelines of the National Medical Commission (NMC) are being followed while constructing medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, the Madras high court has directed the state health secretary to file a detailed report on the compliance of building norms.

A division bench of Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice R Hemalatha passed the interim order on a public interest writ petition moved by N Rajasekaran of Tiruvarur for a direction to the state to constitute a committee to supervise and find out whether such norms are followed while constructing new government medical colleges.

Admitting the plea, the bench directed the health secretary to file his response by February 11, 2021.

According to the petitioner, the NMC has prescribed norms for construction of buildings for medical college, hospital and even auditorium in such institutions which have been published in the gazette of India as early as April 1999.

The rules provide for the requirement of built-up area in consonance with the sanctioned strength of students in the medical college. It clearly states the extent in which the administrative block, residential quarters and hostel have to be constructed for establishing a new medical college hospital, the petitioner said.

While so, the state government is constructing new medical colleges in the state in violation of such rules and to the whims and fancies of the PWD contractors wasting several hundred crores of public money, he added.

Claiming that his representation made to the authorities concerned in connection with the issue has not has not been responded to, the petitioner wanted the court to interfere and restrain the state from violating the building rules.

The state government is constructing new medical colleges as per the whims and fancies of PWD contractors wasting public money, the petitioner said