AIIMS experts visit Badhaal village to investigate mysterious disease

In Jammu and Kashmir, a six-member team of experts from AIIMS New Delhi, led by its Director- Prof (Dr) M Srinivas and including specialists in Toxicology, Saturday visited Badhaal village of district Rajouri, where 17 persons have died due to ‘mysterious disease’ and collected samples of water from the Bowli and other food items at the houses of these 3-4 affected families. 

The team visited Badhaal village Saturday and collected food samples from their sealed homes and water bodies surrounding that area. The samples would be tested to know the cause of death. The experts also interacted with the other villagers and tried to learn the history behind the incidents. The team arrived in Rajouri on Friday night, interacted with the patients and their relatives at the Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri, and made several queries about the entire episode. They also examined some of the patients who were under



observation. The doctors at GMC Rajouri are treating the 11 patients using Atropine, an anti-poison drug. 

The team spoke to these patients who were undergoing treatment for the mysterious illness and recorded their clinical history. Besides the AIIMS Delhi team, a team of experts from PGI Chandigarh is also investigating the cause of toxicity. Meanwhile, no new case has been reported in the past ten days from Badhaal village. 

However, the 11 members of SIT constituted by J&K Police were working hard to crack the case and get some clues but the team could not make any headway in the case till today. He said the local villagers were fully cooperating with the police team. Worth mentioning that Badhaal village has been declared a containment zone and prohibitory orders have been imposed on all public and private gatherings.