Three more children have been admitted to hospitals in Jammu after falling sick to the mystery illness that killed 17 in Rajouri's Badhal village. Two children were on ventilators at SMGS Hospital, Jammu, while the third one was at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Jammu.
GMCH principal Dr Ashutosh said seven individuals from Badhal village were undergoing treatment at GMC Rajouri, reported Rising Kashmir.
🚨Mystery Illness in J&K: 17 Dead, Including 14 Children
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) January 24, 2025
A mysterious illness in Budhal, Rajouri has claimed 17 lives, including 14 children, due to fatal brain swelling (edema). The village is under quarantine, over 200 people isolated.
Experts from NCDC & NIV Pune are… pic.twitter.com/ETVr2g5NVu
Meanwhile, authorities seem to believe that it was some dangerous toxin that caused the deaths and not any bacterial or viral infection. Union minister Jitendra Singh, who was in Kathua on Thursday to inaugurate a bridge, confirmed this. "Initial investigations have found that the deaths have not been due to infection, viral or bacterial. They have been caused by toxins. Tests are on to identify the type of toxin," Singh said.
The minister added that it was not yet clear what caused the poisoning and action would be taken if it was found to be intentional.
Deputy CM Surinder Chowdhary also confirmed that no virus or infection has been detected. "Once we pinpoint the cause, we will be able to completely address it," he said.
While health officials say the common factor among those who died of the illness was damage to the brain and the nervous system, experts believe it could be some insecticide, pesticide or even gas. However, they said it was too early to jump to conclusions. The affected children suffered from bouts of irritability, drowsiness, and profuse sweating followed by respiratory distress.
On Thursday, authorities quarantined over 200 individuals who are said to have come in contact with the affected families. Of these, four were shifted to hospitals.
Rajouri MLA blames hospital
An altercation broke out between Rajouri MLA Javaid Iqbal Choudhary and the GMCH Jammu principal after the former accused the hospital management of mismanagement in handling patients. The MLA wanted the ill patients to be shifted to PGI Chandigarh, which was denied by the hospital.
"There is total mismanagement at the GMC hospital in Jammu. They failed to save the children. While one ill person shifted to PGI Chandigarh was stable but others shifted to GMC in Jammu are serious. We demand that all should be shifted to Chandigarh", he told reporters in Rajouri.
However, the GMC Principal, however, reassured that the best possible care was being provided. “We are following health guidelines and protocols, not the instructions of any politician,” he said.
