Badhaal deaths: 11 patients discharged from Rajouri’s GMC hospital after complete recovery

Rajouri/Jammu, Feb 4 (PTI) Eleven patients, who were admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital (GMC) after falling ill due to a mysterious illness in Badhaal village of Rajouri district, have fully recovered and been discharged, officials said on Tuesday.

A team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, concluded a three-day visit to Rajouri. They examined the patients from Badhaal village and collected various samples as part of their investigation into the recent deaths in the area.

“All patients from Badhaal village have now fully recovered. Today, they were shifted from the treatment ward to the general observation area of the hospital,” Dr Shamim Ahmed, Medical Superintendent of GMC Hospital, Rajouri, Dr Shamim Ahmed, told reporters here.

Dr Shamim said that among these patients are three, who were previously in the ICU.

He assured that all patients are stable, out of danger and have been moved to the general observation area, where other village residents are also being monitored as a precautionary measure.

Sources said that doctors at GMC, Rajouri, treated the 11 patients with Atropine, an anti-poison drug. They were admitted to the hospital last month.

Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma on Tuesday visited the hospital to meet with these patients. He also convened a meeting with the doctors and medical staff at GMC Hospital, where the principal briefed him on the overall health status of the patients.

During their visit, a five-member team of AIIMS, Delhi, experts, including specialists in toxicology, conducted interviews and recorded clinical histories from the 11 patients currently undergoing treatment for the mysterious illness responsible for 17 deaths in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.

The AIIMS team, led by Director Dr M Srinivas, included Dr A Shariff, Professor of Clinical Toxicology, Dr Shailendra Kumar, Additional Professor of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Dr Jamahed Nayer, Additional Professor of Emergency Medicine, Dr Jagdish Prasad Meena, Additional Professor of Pediatrics, and Dr Javed Qadri, Assistant Professor of Clinical Toxicology.

The AIIMS team thoroughly examined the patients from Badhaal who have been suffering from an unknown illness involving neurotoxins, resulting in 17 deaths under mysterious circumstances over the past eight weeks, they said. 

They also collected samples of fresh water, soil and other environmental elements from the village to aid in their investigation.

Badhaal village remains under containment, with 79 families still in isolation as a precautionary measure, they said.

Eight teams comprising government officials are diligently caring for over 700 livestock in the village. Seventy-nine families, comprising approximately 370 individuals, have been in isolation facilities for the past 11 days. These teams are ensuring the well-being of the animals by providing food, water and medical care during this challenging period, they said.

To ensure the safety of the remaining 808 households, totaling 3,700 individuals in Badhaal, the village has been divided into 14 clusters monitored by multi-departmental teams comprising 182 officials.

All shops and establishments in the village have been sealed and ration distribution is being strictly supervised, according to officials.

The remote village has been declared a containment zone with prohibitory orders imposed on all public and private gatherings.