Bellary, Karnataka:
The mystery disease that has affected 258 people, including 156 women, at Siddammanahalli village in this district, has been diagnosed as Lapto Psoriasis.Informing this to newspersons here today, National Institute for Communicable Diseases Deputy Director and Microbiologist Dr Sohan Lal said unclean and unhygienic environment, lack of proper drainage system and drinking contaminated water led to the outbreak of the disease.
Animals and rodents were the main carriers of the Lapto Spiral bacteria which caused the disease.
He said the disease was also prevalent at Yadgiri in Gulbarga district, some villages in Bidar district, Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh, besides some villages in Maharashtra.
Dr Lal and Lab Assistant Shivakumar went round the village yesterday to zero in on the cause for the spread of the disease. Expressing satisfaction over the supply of medicines by the District Health Department to contain the disease, Dr Lal said the Veterinary Department had been asked to initiate steps to study cattle diseases.
