Jammu: A team of experts from AIIMS Delhi visited Rajouri district on Sunday to investigate a mysterious illness that has claimed 17 lives in the area, with 11 patients still undergoing treatment. The team, led by Dr. M Srinivas, Director of AIIMS, and including specialists in clinical toxicology, emergency medicine, and pediatrics, met the affected patients and recorded their clinical history.
The team also collected samples from sealed homes and surrounding areas in Badhaal village, where the deaths occurred between December 7 and January 19. No new cases have been reported in the village over the past nine days.
In addition to the AIIMS team, experts from PGI Chandigarh are also working to determine the cause of the illness, which is believed to involve toxicity.
In response to the outbreak, district authorities have relocated 87 families (comprising 364 people) from Badhaal to isolated centers at Government Nursing College, Government Boys Higher Secondary School, and Government Medical College in Rajouri town. The authorities have also declared Badhaal village a containment zone and imposed prohibitory orders to prevent public and private gatherings.
