Rajouri/Jammu:
In view of the medical alert following the death of 17 people of Badhal village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district due to a mysterious illness, the authorities have canceled all leaves of doctors and paramedics. The number of people sent to quarantine has increased to 230.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that preliminary investigation conducted by the Toxicology Laboratory in Lucknow has revealed that the cause is not any infection, virus or bacteria but a toxin.
Rajouri Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital Principal Dr Amarjeet Singh Bhatia addressed a press conference in Rajouri on Friday and announced that all leaves of doctors and paramedic staff have been cancelled. “Winter holidays have also been canceled to deal with the medical alert situation following the death of 17 people from three families under mysterious circumstances in the last one and a half month,” he said.
He further said that the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has deployed 10 additional medical students at GMC Rajouri to assist in the medical arrangements amid the current health situation.
Officials said that the health condition of three people undergoing treatment at GMC Hospital in Jammu and PGI Chandigarh is being monitored.
Four people, including three sisters, were shifted to hospitals, three of whom were airlifted to a hospital in Jammu on Wednesday.
More people, including relatives who came in contact with the victims’ families, were sent for quarantine on Friday as a precautionary measure. As a precautionary measure, more people, including close relatives of the victims, have been shifted to the Nursing College quarantine center in Rajouri, taking the number to 230, officials said.
He said that tight security arrangements have been made at the Nursing College Quarantine Center in Rajouri, which has been closed with heavy security and fencing.
He said that many people who came in contact with the affected families, from taking the children to the hospital till burying them, have also been identified.
The Union Minister said that a thorough investigation is going on. “The initial investigation conducted by our toxicology laboratory in Lucknow concluded that it was not due to any infection, virus or bacteria, but due to a toxin,” he said.
He said investigation into the nature of the poison was ongoing. He said, “A long range of toxins are being tested. I believe a solution will be found soon. Also, if there was any mischief or malicious activity, that is also being investigated. “
The remote Badhal village was declared a containment zone on Wednesday and prohibitory orders were imposed on all public and private gatherings in view of the deaths, officials said.
Seventeen people, including 13 children, of the family of Mohammad Fazal, Mohammad Aslam and Mohammad Rafiq in Badhal village died due to the mysterious disease in the last one and a half month.
He said the central team and police were continuing separate investigations into both the deaths.
A central team continued its investigation into the causes of deaths in three families on Friday.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the police continued its investigation into the criminal angle after some neurotoxins were found in the samples of the victims. Officials said they have questioned more than 50 people in this case.
Dr Bhatia revealed that the common factor in all 17 deaths is brain involvement and damage to the nervous system.
