Medical teams race to contain health crisis after 7 deaths in Rajouri village

Rajouri, Dec 13: After the death of seven persons including six children with suspicion of food poisoning, the authorities have established multiple special medical camps in the remote areas of Badhaal and adjoining villages with aggressive screening of villagers and aggressive sampling continuing for the second consecutive day on Friday.

A team of epidemiologists and other experts visited the area where a team of 14 doctors has already been camping there since Thursday evening.

Badhaal is a remote village falling under Khawas tehsil of Kotranka subdivision of Rajouri district where twin incidents happened in last five days in which a father and his four children died while in another incident a brother-sister duo died while three persons are still hospitalised.

A health alert was issued by the Health Department soon after the twin incidents with special teams constituted to react to the situation as per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

On Friday, three separate special medical camps were established by the authorities in the area with 14 doctors including pediatricians and physicians stationed in the area.

Officials said that these doctors were conducting aggressive medical screening of villagers for any symptoms, especially diarrhoea.

They said that alongside it a high-level team deputed by the government and divisional administration comprising epidemiologists and microbiologists also visited the area to investigate the cause of these deaths beside lifting necessary samples.

Special teams of Government Medical College Rajouri and Health Department have also been camping in the village for past two days.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma told Greater Kashmir that special teams were following all important SOPs in these incidents.

“We have taken all necessary samples for further examination,” he said.

Sharma said that over 70 villagers in the immediate vicinity were medically screened by the doctors on Friday while a team of doctors was camping at the site for screening and immediate medical assistance wherever required.

“We have also augmented CHC Kandi to deal with the situation,” he said. “The reports of samples are awaited.”