Srinagar, Feb 01: The authorities on Saturday said that no new cases of the mysterious illness have been reported in Badhal village of Rajouri district, where 17 people from three families lost their lives over a span of more than a month.
For the past two weeks, doctors, along with experts from PGI Chandigarh and AIIMS New Delhi, have been working on a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the follow-up, discharge, and treatment of recovered patients.
Experts from PGI Chandigarh and AIIMS New Delhi are developing a comprehensive SOP for the discharge policy and continued treatment of recovered patients.
Dr. Amarjeet Singh Bhatia, Principal of GMC Rajouri told Rising Kashmir that so far 11 patients have been successfully treated with atropine, the exact toxin responsible for the illness remains unidentified.
“Despite the successful recovery of 11 patients, GMC Rajouri has decided not to discharge them until the toxic substance causing the illness is determined,” he said.
Following the deaths of 17 persons, including 13 children and 4 adults, the administration declared Badhal village a containment zone and relocated around 400 people from nearly 90 families to government accommodations in Rajouri district headquarters. The administration is providing food and lodging to help break the transmission of the suspected neurotoxin within the food chain.
Doctors at GMC Rajouri have used atropine, an anti-poison drug effective against organophosphorus group poisons—to treat affected patients.
The same treatment approach has been applied at GMC Jammu and PGI Chandigarh. However, health experts are still awaiting the results of samples collected from the village by national health agencies.
A team of three doctors from PGI Chandigarh is currently conducting a three-day assessment in Rajouri. They have met with patients under treatment at GMC Rajouri, reviewed their care, and interacted with their attendants, as well as doctors and nurses.
The team has also visited quarantine centers and met with three patients who were discharged from GMC Jammu and are now under observation.
Meanwhile 11-member SIT, headed by Superintendent of Police (Operations) Budhal, Wajahat Hussain, Rajouri police is also investigating the deaths in the village.
A senior police officer at Rajouri said that deaths are being investigated from all possible angles, including poisoning, disease, and other external factors. At this stage, we cannot rule anything out, he added.
“Case is still under investigation, very soon the report will be submitted to the government. Each and every thing will be revealed behind these mysterious deaths,” the police officer said.
Farooq Ahmad, Sarpanch of the Budal village said no fresh cases have been detected in the village. Situation is normal everywhere; we hope the authorities can uncover the truth. Multiple teams of doctors are visiting these days in the village and we are cooperating with them, he said.
“Both police and medical experts are taking samples and also talking to people who have been shifted in Rajouri. Hopefully the situation will be normal within some weeks,” Farooq Ahmad said.
The first incident came to notice on December 7, 2024, when a family of seven fell ill after a community meal, resulting in five fatalities.
