SRINAGAR: About 400-500 residents of Badhal village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district are being relocated to government accommodations for quarantine after 17 mysterious deaths since December 2024 and the emergence of 11 more cases under treatment.
The decision to relocate the affected families and their extended relatives was taken after the District Magistrate of Rajouri declared the village a containment zone, following five new cases in two days.
MLA Budhal Ch Javed Iqbal stated, “Not the whole village but affected families, their extended families, and close relatives are being relocated for their own safety.”
The villagers are being moved to quarantine facilities at GMC Rajouri, the old hospital Rajouri, Nursing College Rajouri, and Boys Higher Secondary School, where the administration has made arrangements for their stay, including regular screenings and food provisions.
The mysterious illness reportedly began on 7 December 2024, days after a wedding feast at the home of Fazal Hussain on 2 December. Fazal and his four daughters fell ill and died within five days.
Subsequently, two other families were affected. Mohammad Rafiq lost his wife and three children, while Mohammad Aslam’s family lost six children, their maternal uncle, and an aunt.
According to Dr Amarjeet Sinha Bhatia, Principal of GMC Rajouri, 10 patients are currently undergoing treatment in different hospitals. “Six patients in GMC Rajouri are showing signs of recovery. Three are admitted in SMGS Hospital Jammu, where one is improving, and another patient at PGI Chandigarh is also recovering,” he said. Of the 10 patients, eight are from affected families, while two are unrelated.
On Thursday evening, 11-year-old Saima Kousar, a relative of Fazal Hussain’s family, was brought to GMC Rajouri with a fever. Medical Superintendent Shamim Choudhary confirmed her condition is being monitored.
It was revealed that cadmium, a neurotoxin, was found at dangerously high levels in the blood of one patient, Aijaz Ahmad, who is under treatment at PGI Chandigarh. “The PGI Chandigarh gave him an antidote for cadmium, and his condition has improved,” said MLA Iqbal.
Dr Bhatia noted, “All health agencies have ruled out viral bacteria or infections. It is likely food contamination with toxic compounds in the local food chain. As a precautionary measure, the administration is relocating the population to break this chain.”
Symptoms of the illness include fever, nausea, intense sweating, restlessness, pain, and loss of consciousness. The administration continues to monitor the situation and conduct further investigations.