Notes from the Field: Photokeratoconjunctivitis Outbreak Associated with Damaged Metal Halide Lamps — Maharashtra State, Western India, June 2016

Abstract

On June 13, 2016, the Pimpriraja Primary Health Center in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra State, in western India reported learning of approximately 90 persons with red eyes and blurred vision. One day earlier, the patients had attended a gathering in Zalta village to acknowledge the contributions of a local political leader. An investigation by the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) and officials from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) in Aurangabad district was initiated to estimate the magnitude of the outbreak and identify reasons for its occurrence. The investigators determined that 92 (12%) of the 750 attendees had symptoms of keratoconjunctivitis, and four of six metal halide lamps used for illumination were damaged.