No bacteria, no virus, no disease behind Budhal deaths: Government

Srinagar, Jan 15: In a startling revelation, the government announced today that no microbe—bacteria, virus, or otherwise—has been identified as the cause of the 14 deaths reported over the past month in Budhal village, Rajouri.

The exact cause of the fatalities is suspected to be a neurotoxin, the nature and source of which is being investigated.

Speaking to media persons today, Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Masood said that all the samples taken from the bodies of the victims of the cluster deaths as well as from their surroundings were found to be negative for microbes. The samples were studied at various reputed institutes: PGIMER (PGI Chandigarh), National Institute of Virology (NIV), Council of Scientific & Industrial Research CSIR (CSIR), National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and other labs. “These were healthy individuals with no pre-existing disease, two were adults and the other were children, and their samples were found to have no kind of virus or bacteria that could have caused their deaths,” she said.

The 14 deaths in three different but related families have sent shock waves in J&K. The deaths were suspected to have ‘some epidemiological linkage’. Although no fatal disease-causing microbe was found in the studied samples, Masood confirmed the discovery of neurotoxins during investigations.

Neurotoxins are substances that disrupt the normal functioning of the nervous system by damaging nerve cells or interfering with their communication. They could originate from snake venom, bacterial toxins, or poisonous plants, as well as from environmental pollutants such as heavy metals and pesticides. Neurotoxins can cause symptoms ranging from numbness and muscle weakness to seizures, respiratory failure, or paralysis, depending on the type and level of exposure.

The Budhal victims had been admitted for fever, vomiting, dehydration, sweating and episodic loss of consciousness. Earlier on Tuesday, J&K Chief Secretary convened a meeting and stressed the importance of close collaboration between the Health and Police Departments to analyze reports from reputed microbiology institutions of the country and uncover the root causes of the deaths. He instructed the Police Department to leverage all available resources to aid the investigation. Similarly, the Health Department was tasked with thoroughly reviewing the reports to extract actionable insights. He expressed confidence that these reports would provide enough information to conclude the investigation and pinpoint the causes of the fatalities in the affected village.

A senior health official urging anonymity told Greater Kashmir that the latest victim's family had attended a congregational meal at the residence of the first victim family days before they started exhibiting symptoms. The first victim's family, he said, had a congregational meal event two days before they fell ill. He said the department had imposed a ban on congregational meals in the area till further notice. He said the victims could have consumed a poisonous substance, accidentally or through foul play. “We will find out very soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sakeena Itoo also expressed her deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and assured the public that the government is treating this matter with the utmost urgency and seriousness. “The well-being of our citizens is our top priority and we will leave no stone unturned in uncovering the root cause behind these tragic deaths”, the Minister maintained.

She appealed to the public to remain calm and extend full support to the district administration during the investigation being carried out to ascertain the actual cause of death.