The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has confirmed that a sudden surge in diarrhea cases in Male' city does not appear to be caused by any particular food.
"From preliminary epidemiological investigations, this sudden surge appears to be caused by a virus. It does not appear to be spread by a specific food," HPA tweeted.
The confirmation came after some news outlets reported that the surge was connected to sweets distributed during the Independence Day parade Thursday night.
But the HPA said the exact cause of the sudden outbreak is still being investigated.
The outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea has been going on for two weeks and a sudden surge was seen after crowds gathered for the parade, HPA added.
ADK Hospital told Adhadhu on Friday that more than 200 people sought treatment from Thursday night to 3 pm Friday.
Many people were also treated at the government-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).
