Teams of NCDC, ICMR, NCV, PGI Chandigarh reach Rajouri

Rajouri, Dec 16: The teams of the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Center for Virology (NCV), and PGI Chandigarh reached Rajouri on Sunday and have started their work for sampling and testing to investigate seven deaths in Badhaal village of Rajouri's Kotranka subdivision.

Earlier, ministers including Health and Medical Education Minister, Sakina Itoo and Tribal Affairs Minister Javed Rana visited the Kotranka subdivision area and chaired a meeting with officers and medical experts to take a review of the situation.

The ministers were briefed about steps taken after these deaths by MLA Budhal, Javed Iqbal Choudhary and Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma.

Later in the day, senior officers, doctors, and medical experts from the National Center for Disease Control, Indian Council of Medical Research, National Center for Virology and PGI Chandigarh reached the area where they were initially briefed about the situation after these deaths and steps taken for sampling, testing and medical screening of people in the area of Badhaal and adjoining hamlets.

Accompanied by Chief Medical Officer Rajouri, Dr Manohar Lal Rana and other medical experts, the members of these national institutions teams visited the affected village and also investigated for verbal contacts.

The experts assured local population that all required steps have been taken and testing as well as examination of collected samples is going on at war scale so that vital reports are received at the earliest.

Meanwhile, a mobile laboratory of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also arrived in Rajouri and it will be moved to Kotranka Kandi on Sunday and a temporary high-utility testing laboratory will be established in the area for on-spot sampling and testing.

Officials said that the use of this mobile laboratory is expected to give a big boost to the ongoing testing process.

A team of over one dozen doctors have been camping in the area for the last four days and more than 2000 people have undergone medical screening with paediatricians have also been stationed in the area under the overall supervision of DC Rajouri.