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 have been shifted from the treatment ward to the general observation area of the hospital. As per hospital sources, all the 11 are stable and out of danger.
It has been almost two months and the investigations into the deaths in Badhaal village of Rajouri have failed to uncover the truth and the reasons behind the mysterious deaths. Though authorities claim that the situation is under control and no more patients are in ICU or treatment wards, the questions remain unanswered.
Since December 7, 2024, 17 individuals, including 13 children, have died due to an unidentified illness. Despite extensive efforts by various health agencies, the exact cause remains undetermined. Over the last 15 days, no new cases have been reported, and most of the previously admitted patients have recovered, which has brought some relief to the fear-stricken community.
Though satisfied with the efforts made by the government in containing the situation, people of the village and adjacent areas are scared. They want answers. Presently the village is under containment with 79 families still in isolation.
With the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) ruling out infectious agents as the cause, the focus of investigation has shifted toward potential toxins. The 11 patients who were declared stable and out of danger on Tuesday were administered atropine and the hospital sources said that the antidotes given to the affected patients have been effective. However, the authorities still lack conclusive evidence about the cause of the deaths.
Besides medical experts trying out to find out the reasons behind these deaths, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) too has been established to focus on other angels too. Despite all these efforts, nothing has been made public yet and thus the scare among the people continues as they don’t know what causes the disease and are living under constant stress and anxiety.
As suggested in these columns earlier, the concerned authorities need to be more transparent about the whole investigation, both by medical experts and the SIT. That nothing comes from the administration’s side, adds to the frustration of the people living in that area. While medical experts and forensic labs are looking at the medical angel, SIT, reportedly, has questioned nearly hundred people in this regard. Still not a word from the administration that how the investigations are progressing.
It is high time that while continuing its efforts to reach to the root cause of these deaths, the administration continues sharing, whatever information is available, with the people. Peoples’ safety and security is government’s responsibility and it is also the government’s responsibility to remove doubts from the minds of people. And for doin so, it has to be transparent and share the minutest details with the people who are under constant trauma.