14 of 15 Rajouri patients stable; 350 villagers quarantined so far
A sense of relief has emerged in Badhaal village of Rajouri after 14 of the 15 patients still undergoing treatment for a mysterious illness are reported to be stable. This comes after 17 deaths in the past month and a half, which had left the region shaken.
While experts continue to investigate the exact cause of the deaths, doctors have noted improvements in recovery rates after introducing supplementary medicines, although details on these treatments have not been disclosed.
Of the 15 remaining patients, 11 are being treated at Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri, three are at GMC Jammu, and one is at PGI Chandigarh. One minor patient at Rajouri remains under observation as she has not fully stabilised. Among the 15 patients, only two are adults. Health improvements have been noted in three sisters who were admitted recently, as well as in Ajaz Ahmed, who was transferred to PGI Chandigarh.
The patients were admitted to different hospitals over the past few weeks, and the Principal of GMC Rajouri, AS Bhatia, is overseeing their treatment. A doctor from GMC Rajouri, speaking anonymously, explained that toxins found in patient samples appear to be affecting the nervous system.
“The supplementary medicine worked in new patients as this was administered before these toxins could affect the nervous system. Many locals who are closely associated with the families whose members died have been shifted to quarantine only to break the food chain so that the toxins cannot affect them,” the doctor further stated.
In total, over 350 locals from Badhaal have been moved to quarantine at the Nursing College and a government school in Rajouri. At least 45 close relatives of the deceased are under strict supervision at GMC Rajouri. Badhaal village remains a containment zone, with no outsiders or unauthorised visitors allowed. The sampling of water, soil and other environmental elements continues as authorities work to identify the source of the toxins.
