At least sixteen people have died due to a mysterious illness in Jammu and Kashmri's Badhal village in one month, Asian News International reported. More than thirty people are suffering from the unidentified disease, and officials in Rajouri district are on alert to deal with the situation.
illness
The cause of the mysterious illness is yet to be identified, and health officials are continuing medical investigation to find out the exact reason.
The disease has caused widespread panic in Badhal village, according to ANI.
The ANI report termed the illness as ‘mysterious’ because health officials are yet to identify its exact cause. According to ANI, the outbreak primarily impacted three interlinked families in Badhal village.
Insufficient information about the disease has become a major roadblock in its effective prevention in the area.
Health officials from PGIMER Chandigarh, the National Institute of Virology, and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), etc are continuing efforts to solve the mystery behind illness.
A woman from Badhaal village was admitted to the Government Medical College (GMC) on Saturday, ANI reported. Due to a surge in the number of cases, officials from the health department and police are working in coordination and taking all measures.
However, efforts to implement targeted measures have been hindered in the absence of concrete information regarding the cause of the disease, leaving local authorities to intensify their investigations in a race against time to avoid further casualties.
Those suffering from the mysterious illness report a deterioration in health condition, which may lead to hospitalisation. The exact symptoms of the mysterious illness are not known, but worsening of the health condition has led to hospitalisation, coma, and, in some cases, death, a health official told ANI.
Another member of the team said, “From a pediatric perspective, all necessary tests have been conducted. The symptoms and progression of the illness have been observed. The ill children's condition deteriorates rapidly within 2-3 days, leading to coma and eventually death despite ventilation.”
There is no proof that the disease is infectious. According to experts, cases have been reported from three specific families, and hence there is no need for the general public to worry.
“Notably, these incidents are confined to three specific families, suggesting a non-infectious cause. Therefore, there's no need for the general public to worry,” the official told ANI.
Another official told ANI, “We're closely monitoring the situation. Reports of illnesses and deaths due to a mysterious disease will be available within 8-10 days. Medical assistance has been provided in 4 wards, and door-to-door counselling and surveillance are ongoing. ICMR has collected samples, and we're taking daily samples. Doctors are available 24/7, and village surveillance has been ongoing since December 7.”
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