Dr H H Chavan, district health officer told The Indian Express that he visited the spot along with experts from B J Medical College and Sassoon hospital. A team of doctors from departments of preventive and social medicine, paediatrics, microbiology, pathology and others were taken on January 30 to Indapur taluka which is three hours away from Pune.

"We collected swabs and blood samples and have submitted them to the BJMC and National Institute of Virology (NIV) to check whether it is a viral or bacterial infection,’’ Chavan said. What is intriguing is that the people developed the infection at the same time and hence the urgency to detect the infection. The team administered antibiotics and provided symptomatic treatment.

According to microbiologists, it is lymphadenitis –or the inflammation or enlargement of a lymph node. "It is common in children," explains Dr Renu Bharadwaj, head of the Department of Microbiology, B J MC when contacted. Dr Smita Deshpande, senior microbiologist who visited the spot said that the patients did not have any symptoms.