
SRINAGAR: A mysterious disease has spread in the remote Badhaal village of the border district of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir. So far, 14 people, including 11 children from three families, have died from the disease, and the cause of these deaths has not been identified. Neurotoxins have been found in the samples of the deceased, which are currently being further investigated.
Officials said a 6-year-old girl, Safina Kousar, daughter of Mohammad Aslam, died at SMGS Hospital, Jammu, today due to the mysterious disease.
On Monday, two people, Mohammad Yousuf, 65, and Mohammad Maroof, 10, son of Mohammad Aslam, died from the same illness.
Aslam lost two more children, Zahoor Ahmed, 14, and Nabeena Akhtar, 5, to the disease on Sunday.
The first deaths linked to the mysterious disease occurred on December 7, 2024, when five members of a family, including the head of the household, died.
Five days later, on December 12, 2024, three children died from the illness.
The children who died exhibited symptoms including fever, sweating, vomiting, dehydration, and episodic loss of consciousness.
The disease has caused widespread panic in the village, with residents expressing great concern for their health. The village has a population of approximately 5,700.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Rajouri, Dr. Manohar Lal, told this newspaper that three adults and 11 children have died from the mysterious disease so far.
He said that the disease primarily affected three interlinked families in the village, all of whom had consumed the same food before falling ill.
Principal of Government Medical College Jammu, Dr. Ashutosh Gupta, stated that they are exploring multiple possible causes.
"It could be something else, maybe a neurotoxin. We are investigating various angles," he said.
Gupta also emphasized that different national agencies, including the National Institute of Virology (Pune), PGI Chandigarh, NCDC Delhi, and the Epidemiology Centre (Chennai), have become involved and are conducting tests.
"At the moment, we can confirm that it is not an infectious disease. We can say with certainty that this is not infectious and not a public health issue," he said.
Dr. Gupta mentioned that the cause of the deaths is still under investigation, and post-mortem reports of the bodies are awaited as agencies continue their work.
The police are also involved in the investigation to rule out any foul play.
The health department is conducting extensive sampling in the village.
“We have conducted over 12,000 tests. Repeated tests and ongoing surveillance are being carried out at the ground level,” added CMO Rajouri.
Meanwhile, J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo has instructed the Health and Police Departments to assess the reports received from various reputable institutions to identify the real cause of these deaths.
He has directed the two departments to work closely together to bring this investigation to a conclusion.
He also instructed the Police Department to employ its best resources to study these reports, alongside other scientific methods, to reach a definitive conclusion.
“The experts, after carrying out extensive microbiological studies, have found no viral, bacterial, or microbial infections that could explain these deaths. These appear to be localized incidents, possibly with some epidemiological linkage,” an official spokesman stated.
It was further noted that neurotoxins had been found in the samples of the deceased, which are being further investigated to determine the cause.
Authorities have taken several measures, including the deployment of Rapid Response Teams, testing of human and animal samples, water testing, and seeking assistance from reputed health institutions to determine the actual causes of these deaths.