New Delhi, Feb 2: A five-member team of AIIMS Delhi experts, including
toxicology specialists, has recorded the clinical history of 11
patients undergoing treatment for a mysterious illness that has
claimed 17 lives in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.
Expert Team to Collect Samples from Affected Village
The AIIMS team will visit Badhaal village on Sunday, where the illness
wiped out three families. The experts will collect samples from the
sealed homes and surrounding areas to identify the cause of toxicity.
“The samples will be tested to determine the source of contamination.
The team will also interact with villagers to gather more
information,” a source said.
The AIIMS team is led by Dr. M Srinivas, the institute’s director, and includes:
Dr. A Shariff, Professor of Clinical Toxicology
Dr. Shailendra Kumar, Additional Professor, Anesthesia and Critical Care
Dr. Jamahed Nayer, Additional Professor, Emergency Medicine
Dr. Jagdish Prasad Meena, Additional Professor, Pediatrics
Dr. Javed Qadri, Assistant Professor, Clinical Toxicology
No New Cases in Nine Days, GMC Rajouri Treating Patients with Atropine
The experts, who arrived in Rajouri on Friday night, have interacted
with patients and their families at Government Medical College (GMC)
Rajouri, making detailed inquiries into the outbreak.
Doctors at GMC Rajouri are administering Atropine, an anti-poison
drug, to the 11 affected patients, sources said.
In addition to the AIIMS Delhi team, a PGI Chandigarh expert team is
also investigating the cause of the toxicity.
Containment Measures and Mass Relocation of Villagers
Authorities have confirmed that no new cases have been reported in the
last nine days. The unexplained deaths of 17 people, all from three
families, occurred between December 7 and January 19.
To prevent further casualties, 87 families (364 individuals) have been
evacuated and relocated to three isolation centers:
Government Nursing College
Government Boys Higher Secondary School
Government Medical College
Additionally, to safeguard the remaining 3,700 residents across 808
households, Badhaal village has been divided into 14 monitoring
clusters, each overseen by multi-department teams of 182 officials.
Strict Restrictions in Place
All shops and establishments in Badhaal have been sealed, and ration
is being provided under strict supervision, an official said.
Authorities have declared the village a containment zone, imposing
prohibitory orders on all public and private gatherings as efforts
continue to trace the source of the illness.
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