<p>Hyderabad: Concerns are mounting in the Turakapalem village in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district, where 23 people have died between July and September 3 from unexplained health complications.</p>.<p>The unusual mortality pattern — 10 each in July and August, and three so far in September — in this small community of 1,200 residents has prompted state authorities to launch a comprehensive investigation.</p>.<p>Most victims — predominantly men with an average age of 55 — initially reported fever before rapidly deteriorating and dying of organ failure within days.</p>.<p>Health officials suspect melioidosis — a bacterial infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. </p>.Death of newborns: Indore hospital continues to tackle rats even as officials downplay menace.<p>The outbreak has already yielded two confirmed melioidosis cases at a private hospital. </p>.<p>Critical test results from blood samples of 29 symptomatic individuals, currently being analysed at the Guntur Medical College's microbiology laboratory, are expected within the next day or two.</p>.<p><strong>Villagers' accounts</strong></p>.<p>"Our neighbour Katta Deena Raju, who does small private jobs for a living, injured his knee a few days ago. After that, he suddenly developed fever symptoms and visited a hospital. Despite treatment, he died within a week," recounted Korrapati Vinod Kumar, a carpenter in the village that is home to approximately 300 families engaged primarily in small-scale private work.</p>.<p>"The same thing happened to Kauri Raju, who worked as a driver, and Dodda Souribabu, an operator at a nearby stone crusher... We don't know what's happening around us," Vinod told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>Speaking on condition of anonymity, villagers have raised concerns over their water supply.</p>.<p>"We used water from a nearby stone quarry pit for several months during a local groundwater crisis. These deaths began only after we started using that water source," one resident told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>Medical analysis revealed that 80% of the deceased had pre-existing conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney ailments.</p>.<p><strong>The response</strong></p>.<p>Andhra Pradesh Director of Medical Education Dr G Raghunandan, who led a medical team to the village on Wednesday, emphasised that definitive answers would emerge once blood test results are reviewed.</p>.<p>He assured villagers that timely antibiotic treatment had proven effective for melioidosis.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, patients currently under treatment at the Guntur Government General Hospital were in stable condition, offering some hope.</p>.<p>Since April 2025, Turakapalem has recorded 29 total deaths, with 12 attributed to stroke and others linked to diabetes, hypertension, HIV, cancer, and one road accident.</p>.<p>Currently, no resident requires hospitalisation, and those experiencing illness are receiving home-based care from health authorities, said Guntur District Collector S. Nagalakshmi.</p>.<p>Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav characterised the toll as highly unusual. He has ordered comprehensive health screenings for all village residents to identify any underlying health risks. Yadav has also mandated immediate improvements to information-collection protocols.</p>
<p>Hyderabad: Concerns are mounting in the Turakapalem village in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district, where 23 people have died between July and September 3 from unexplained health complications.</p>.<p>The unusual mortality pattern — 10 each in July and August, and three so far in September — in this small community of 1,200 residents has prompted state authorities to launch a comprehensive investigation.</p>.<p>Most victims — predominantly men with an average age of 55 — initially reported fever before rapidly deteriorating and dying of organ failure within days.</p>.<p>Health officials suspect melioidosis — a bacterial infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. </p>.Death of newborns: Indore hospital continues to tackle rats even as officials downplay menace.<p>The outbreak has already yielded two confirmed melioidosis cases at a private hospital. </p>.<p>Critical test results from blood samples of 29 symptomatic individuals, currently being analysed at the Guntur Medical College's microbiology laboratory, are expected within the next day or two.</p>.<p><strong>Villagers' accounts</strong></p>.<p>"Our neighbour Katta Deena Raju, who does small private jobs for a living, injured his knee a few days ago. After that, he suddenly developed fever symptoms and visited a hospital. Despite treatment, he died within a week," recounted Korrapati Vinod Kumar, a carpenter in the village that is home to approximately 300 families engaged primarily in small-scale private work.</p>.<p>"The same thing happened to Kauri Raju, who worked as a driver, and Dodda Souribabu, an operator at a nearby stone crusher... We don't know what's happening around us," Vinod told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>Speaking on condition of anonymity, villagers have raised concerns over their water supply.</p>.<p>"We used water from a nearby stone quarry pit for several months during a local groundwater crisis. These deaths began only after we started using that water source," one resident told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>Medical analysis revealed that 80% of the deceased had pre-existing conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney ailments.</p>.<p><strong>The response</strong></p>.<p>Andhra Pradesh Director of Medical Education Dr G Raghunandan, who led a medical team to the village on Wednesday, emphasised that definitive answers would emerge once blood test results are reviewed.</p>.<p>He assured villagers that timely antibiotic treatment had proven effective for melioidosis.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, patients currently under treatment at the Guntur Government General Hospital were in stable condition, offering some hope.</p>.<p>Since April 2025, Turakapalem has recorded 29 total deaths, with 12 attributed to stroke and others linked to diabetes, hypertension, HIV, cancer, and one road accident.</p>.<p>Currently, no resident requires hospitalisation, and those experiencing illness are receiving home-based care from health authorities, said Guntur District Collector S. Nagalakshmi.</p>.<p>Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav characterised the toll as highly unusual. He has ordered comprehensive health screenings for all village residents to identify any underlying health risks. Yadav has also mandated immediate improvements to information-collection protocols.</p>