Exactly two months have passed since the first case of unexplained illness was reported in the ill-fated Badhaal village of Jammu and Kashmir Rajouri district.
This mysterious illness has claimed 17 lives including thirteen children of three ill-fated families of this remote hamlet inhabited by poor people but the exact cause of these deaths has yet to be ascertained.
Although thirty-eight patients have been discharged after complete recovery, authorities remain clueless about the cause behind a series of mysterious deaths in this village.
The mysterious illness, which first emerged on December 7, 2024, has so far claimed 17 lives, sparking panic and uncertainty among residents.
The first incident was reported on December 7, when seven-year-old Nazia Kousar from this village died after showing symptoms consistent with food poisoning.
Her two elder brothers, Ishtiaq (9) and Ashfaq (11), were rushed to Kotranka Civil Hospital and later referred to GMC Jammu for specialized treatment. Ishtiaq succumbed to the illness while undergoing treatment.
The tragedy deepened when their 12-year-old sister, Ruksar, died three days later while receiving treatment in Jammu. Earlier, their father Fazal Hussain, and three siblings—Rabia Kousar (15), Farmana Kousar (12), and Rafter Ahmad (4)—had also died under similar circumstances on December 8.
Authorities yet to ascertain cause of deaths
Despite visits from teams from prestigious institutes across the country, authorities are yet to ascertain the real cause of deaths in this village. The mysterious disease has created fear psychosis among the villagers. The affected families and residents of Badhaal village are worried about the failure of the authorities to ascertain the cause of 17 deaths in this village.
AIIMS Delhi to train local doctors to deal with such situations in future
During a meeting to review the situation in Badhaal village, J&K Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo impressed upon the concerned not to lower their guard and take samples of fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides used locally to identify the root cause of these deaths.
The Chief Secretary also urged the AIIMS, New Delhi to extend their support in enhancing the capacity of the local medics here for dealing with such situations. He also suggested sending some doctors there for specialized training and also sending some experts from there to build the capacity of many more here in the hospitals of the UT.
He also talked to health experts from different national institutions and sought their suggestions for adopting the future course of action. He simultaneously directed the law enforcement agencies to conclude their investigations in light of the test reports received from these institutions and the ones that are yet to come.
The Secretary of Health and Medical Education Dr Syed Abid Rashid Shah informed the meeting that every measure has been taken to isolate the families and provide them food and water after testing the same. He further informed about the drugs and medical teams that had been made available locally at PHC Kandi and GMC Rajouri.
The Secretary also gave out that out of the 55 symptomatic persons 38 were discharged after recovery and 17 deaths had been registered so far. He revealed that there are currently no admissions in any of the hospitals and patients had even been examined by teams of doctors from PGIMER, Chandigarh, and AIIMS, New Delhi here.
