3 sisters among 4 more hospitalised
Rajouri, Jan 22: Amid intensified investigations by different teams to unravel the cause behind the sequence of mysterious deaths in Badhaal village, four more girls, including three siblings, were hospitalised on Wednesday.
They are among five people, who have fallen ill in the past 24 hours in the village.
Besides, 30 close contacts of deceased and the patients under treatment have also been shifted to a separate facility in Government Nursing College Building, Rajouri, though as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, the central team continued its investigation in Badhaal village on the third day. The Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jammu zone, Anand Jain also visited Badhaal to review safety measures.
Officials said that the siblings Tazeem Akhter (22), Khalida Begum (18) and Nazia Kouser (16) were immediately rushed to GMC Associated Hospital Rajouri after they suddenly fell ill during the day and their situation started deteriorating.
“Three real sisters from Badhaal fell ill late Wednesday afternoon. Initially they were screened by doctors in the village. They were later taken to GMC Associated Hospital Rajouri where a team of doctors medically examined them and provided them with necessary medical first aid,” officials said.
MLA Budhal Javed Iqbal Choudhary; Principal GMC Rajouri Dr A S Bhatia and Medical Superintendent of GMC Associated Hospital Dr Shamim Ahmed supervised medical treatment of these patients.
“We decided to shift these patients to PGI Chandigarh and the matter was taken up with divisional administration as well as Jammu and Kashmir Government by us after which requisition for a helicopter was placed with Indian Army and Indian Air Force,” said MLA Budhal.
“Later they were airlifted to GMC Jammu in an IAF helicopter,” he said.
MLA further said that the government was working hard to arrange an air ambulance facility for these sisters to shift them to PGI Chandigarh for advanced medical aid.
In a separate case, 18-year-old Shabnam Kouser, daughter of Jamil Hussain, a resident of Badhaal, was also hospitalized in GMC Rajouri.
The girl reportedly complained of uneasiness on Wednesday evening after which her medical screening was conducted. Later, she was brought to GMC, Rajouri where she was under treatment.
YOUTH AIRLIFTED TO PGI CHANDIGARH
During the last 24 hours, five new patients, including four girls, were brought from the village and they all were taken to GMC Rajouri initially.
Earlier, 23-year-old Aijaz Ahmed from Badhaal village, who fell critically ill on Tuesday, was airlifted to PGI Chandigarh from Jammu the same evening.
Aijaz is nephew of Muhammad Aslam, who has lost his six children and an elderly uncle and aunt within a week, spanning January 12-19, due to unexplained disease that has created panic in the area.
On Tuesday evening, Aijaz was brought to GMC Rajouri where his condition deteriorated and he was put on ventilator support.
Late Tuesday evening, he was taken to Jammu in an ambulance equipped with a ventilator. From Jammu, he was airlifted to PGI Chandigarh through an Indian Air Force helicopter.
His condition is said to be critical as a team of doctors is providing necessary medical aid to the patient.
30 CLOSE CONTACTS SHIFTED TO SEPARATE FACILITY
After Badhaal village has been declared a containment zone, a decision has been taken to separate all the active contacts of victims, who have lost their lives under mysterious conditions during the last one and a half month.
Close contacts of the victims and ill patients were earlier shifted to a separate facility at GMC Associated Hospital Rajouri.
Around 30 people from the village have been moved so far, officials said.
The active contacts were initially shifted to the hospital's isolation ward and later taken to a new facility in the Government Nursing College Building for active medical screening, they said.
According to MLA Budhal Javed Iqbal Choudhary, this is just a precautionary step to keep active contacts of victims separate and under medical screening for 24 hours.
DIV COM, ADGP REVIEW SAFETY MEASURES IN BADHAAL
Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jammu, Anand Jain, visited Badhaal village today to assess the situation and review ongoing measures for the safety of the residents.
Deputy Commissioner Rajouri was directed for immediate relocation of close contacts and high-risk contacts of affected families from Badhaal Village to Nursing College and Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri.
Instructions were issued to Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs), Block Development Officers (BDOs), and their subordinate staff to facilitate the seamless movement of the identified individuals to the designated facilities.
Further, the Animal and sheep Husbandry Department has been tasked with deploying officials to manage and care for domestic animals left behind in the village, ensuring their safety and proper upkeep.
Designated officers and their teams will oversee the well-being of the relocated residents upon their arrival in Rajouri, providing essential support and other necessities during their stay.
The Divisional Commissioner directed all concerned officials to work in close coordination to ensure the effective implementation of the measures.
The district administration Rajouri has introduced an array of preventive measures to prevent the situation from escalating.
The authorities have replaced existing supplies with safe food and water to the households in the affected localities.
Designated officers are tasked with maintaining a log book with three daily entries documenting food distribution and consumption to safeguard public health and contain the spread of the situation.
Meanwhile, the central team continued its investigation into the cause of the deaths, which took place in three families, on Wednesday. A senior doctor part of the investigations said over 200 samples were sent for testing to different institutes.
The inter-ministerial team from New Delhi visited Badhaal in Kotranka sub-division for the third straight day as part of its investigation, the officials said.