Rajouri, Jan 14: A wave of tragedy has struck Badhaal village in the Kotranka sub-division of Rajouri district as a mysterious disease has claimed the lives of 13 individuals, including several children, since December last year.
The latest casualty, a child, succumbed to the illness on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at a local hospital.
The village has been grappling with this unidentified illness for over a month. Two children lost their lives on Monday, followed by another death the next day, pushing the death toll to 13. According to health officials, the victims belong to different families across the village.
Medicos attending to the patients report common symptoms among the deceased, including high fever, excessive sweating, vomiting, dehydration, and episodic loss of consciousness. Despite their efforts, the Health Department has yet to determine the precise cause of these mysterious deaths.
Dr. Ashutosh Gupta, principal GMC Hospital, said that preliminary findings suggest a viral infection might be responsible, but further studies are required to confirm this.
In light of the alarming situation, the government has mobilized teams of experts from prominent institutions across the country. Specialists from Pune’s National Institute of Virology, PGI Chandigarh, AIIMS Delhi, and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, have visited Badhaal village to assist in the investigation and contain the spread of the disease.
These teams are conducting extensive field studies and collecting samples for laboratory analysis. “The involvement of these institutions underscores the severity of the situation and the commitment to identifying and addressing the cause,” an official stated. [KNT]
