Rajouri: The Jammu and Kashmir government has cancelled leaves of all doctors and paramedics on its payroll amid heightened concerns and a medical alert in the wake of 17 deaths due to a mystery illness that has plagued the Badhaal village in Rajouri district.
The village has been declared a “containment zone,” with more than 200 people quarantined and prohibitory orders imposed, banning all public and private gatherings in the area.
What we know so far about Rajouri mystery illness
- Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that an initial investigation by the toxicology laboratory in Lucknow determined that the cause of the incident was not linked to any infection, virus, or bacteria but rather to a toxin that’s being analysed.
- Dr Amarjeet Singh Bhatia, Principal of Rajouri Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital, held a press conference on Friday in Rajouri, announcing the cancellation of all leaves for doctors and paramedic staff, news agency PTI reported.
- “The winter vacations have also been cancelled to address the medical alert situation following the deaths of 17 people from three families under mysterious circumstances over the past one and a half months,” he said.
- Jammu and Kashmir government has dispatched 10 additional medical students to GMC Rajouri to bolster the hospital’s capacity amid the ongoing health crisis.
- Meanwhile, the health condition of three individuals undergoing treatment at GMC Hospital in Jammu and PGI Chandigarh is being closely monitored, officials confirmed.
- Four persons, including three sisters, were hospitalised on Wednesday, with three of them airlifted to a hospital in Jammu for treatment.
- On Friday, more people, including relatives who had contact with the affected families, were placed in quarantine as a precautionary measure.
- Officials confirmed that additional individuals, including close relatives of the deceased, have been relocated to the Nursing College quarantine centre in Rajouri, bringing the total number of quarantined individuals to 230.
- The quarantine centre has been heavily secured, with strict security measures and fencing in place, officials added.
- Seventeen people, including 13 children, from the families of Mohammad Fazal, Mohammad Aslam, and Mohammad Rafiq in Badhaal village have died from a mysterious illness over the past one-and-a-half months.
- A central team continued its investigation on Friday to determine the cause of these deaths, while the Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed by the police following the discovery of neurotoxins in the samples of the deceased, is focusing on a potential criminal angle. Officials confirmed that over 50 individuals have been questioned as part of the probe.
- Dr Bhatia disclosed that all 17 deaths share a common factor: involvement of the brain and significant damage to the nervous system.
