Mysterious illness claims tenth life in Rajouri village

This marks the tenth death in the village due to the unexplained disease, which has claimed the lives of eight minors and two adults from two families, raising alarm among health authorities. National health teams, including experts from the National Institute of Virology (Pune), PGI (Chandigarh), National Centre for Disease Control (Delhi), and AIIMS (Delhi), have already visited the area, collecting samples and conducting investigations.

Despite comprehensive testing, including food and water samples, the cause of the illness remains unknown. State Epidemiologist Dr Harjeet Rai previously ruled out viral infections as the cause.

On Saturday, six siblings from the same village were admitted to the Community Health Centre in Kandi after displaying symptoms. They were later referred to the Government Medical College (GMC), Rajouri, with four of the children eventually shifted to SMGS Hospital in Jammu, where the minor girl passed away.

Senior officials, including Rajouri-Poonch DIG Tejinder Singh, Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma, and Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Sikarwar, visited Badhaal village on Sunday to assess the situation.

As part of relief measures, ambulances, health teams, and ASHA workers have been deployed to provide medical assistance. Other departments have also been activated to ensure coordinated efforts.

An official from the administration stated: “Apart from health teams, the police have launched a fresh investigation. Samples have been collected from the ill patients, and investigations are underway to determine the cause of the illness. The public is advised not to panic and to follow official advisories.”

Locals revealed that Mohammad Aslam, whose six children were hospitalised, is related to the two families affected by suspected food poisoning last month.

The mysterious deaths prompted intervention by national institutions last month. Rapid response teams were deployed, isolation wards were set up at Rajouri GMC and SMGS Hospital, Jammu, and a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) mobile laboratory was sent to Rajouri for expedited testing.

Authorities have assured that they are closely monitoring the situation and will take necessary action based on the outcomes of ongoing investigations.