Badhaal villagers living in isolation protest
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 6: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo today again chaired a meeting of all the concerned from Health and Police Departments along with the representatives of nationally reputed institutions to take assessment of the efforts made to safeguard the lives there besides identifying the causes behind these deaths.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
The meeting besides Principal Secretary, Home and Secretary, H&ME was attended by ADGP, CID; Divisional Commissioner, Jammu; IGP, Jammu; IGP, CID; DC, Rajouri; SSP, Rajouri; Principal, GMC Jammu and other local health experts.
Click here to watch video
It was also joined by Director, AIIMS; Director, PGIMER, Chandigarh; DG, ICMR; Director, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR), Lucknow; Director, CFSL; Experts from National Institute of Virology (NIV), DRD, Gawalior and experts from other reputed laboratories carrying out investigation of the samples sent by the Health Department.
Dulloo took this occasion to impress upon the concerned not to lower their guard and take samples of fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides used locally to identify the root cause of these deaths. He also asked for augmentation of facilities in the local hospitals so that these are well equipped to deal with any such eventuality in future.
He directed for carrying out audit of the health facilities to examine the need of adding more ICU beds, oxygen plants, isolation wards in addition to availability of specific drugs and specialists there.
Dulloo also urged the AIIMS, New Delhi to extend their support in enhancing the capacity of the local medics here for dealing with such situations. He also suggested for sending some doctors there for specialized training and also sending some experts from there to build capacity of many more here in the hospitals of the UT.
He talked to the Heath experts from different national institutions and sought their suggestions for adopting the future course of action. He simultaneously directed the law enforcement agencies to conclude their investigations in light of the test reports received from these institutions and the ones which are yet to come.
Secretary H&ME, Dr Syed Abid Rashid Shah informed the meeting that every measure has been taken to isolate the families and provide them food and water after testing the same. He further informed about the drugs and medical teams that had been made available locally at PHC Kandi and GMC Rajouri.
The Secretary stated that out of the 55 symptomatic persons, 38 were discharged after recovery and 17 deaths have been registered so far. He revealed that there are currently no admissions in any of the hospitals and patients had even been examined by teams of doctors from PGIMER, Chandigarh and AIIMS, New Delhi here.
It was further given out that the health teams are stationed there to keep surveillance for any of the symptoms appearing in any person with whole population of the village screened by healthcare providers.
The Divisional Commissioner, Jammu informed the meeting that it is ensured that no food or eatables are exchanged as the families had been removed from their homes and kept under continuous surveillance.
He informed the meeting that at present 363 souls from 60 different families had been quarantined with 592 animals being tended by the officials from Animal and Sheep Husbandry Departments to safeguard their lives.
Meanwhile, villagers, who have been housed in the isolation centres following the death of 17 people due to mysterious illness in Badhaal village of Rajouri district, today held protest demanding they should be allowed to return to their homes.
The protesters said while 17 people from their village have lost their lives, authorities are yet to determine the cause of these deaths. Instead, hundreds of villagers have been placed in isolation facilities about 55 Kms away from their homes.
They further expressed concern over their livestock and household belongings left behind, stating their animals were on the verge of death due to a lack of care.
Following the protest, senior officers in the district administration rushed to the spot and held discussions with the villagers. The residents of this remote village in Budhal constituency were moved to isolation facilities about 14 days ago as a precautionary measure after the mysterious deaths.
Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma, urged the residents to remain patient and cooperate with the imposed restrictions, emphasizing that these measures are in place for their safety and the well-being of the entire community.
The DC reassured that all basic facilities, including food, medical aid, and other essentials, are being provided. To ensure that students do not suffer academically, teachers have been deputed to conduct educational sessions for children of these families, he added.
Meanwhile, despite extensive investigations by police and medical experts, the cause of these deaths remains unknown.
With suspicions of a neurotoxin contaminating the local food chain, authorities decided to relocate affected families and their immediate contacts to quarantine facilities. Three such facilities have been set up at the district headquarters in Rajouri, they added.
As part of a major late-night action in the district, authorities launched surprise inspections of all insecticide, pesticide, and fertilizer stores, leading to the closure of all such establishments until further notice. This initiative was undertaken in connection with the ongoing investigation concerning Badhaal village, an official said.
A total of 257 shops were identified for sampling and 254 of them were sealed till the outcome of the sample reports. These include 60 establishments dealing in insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides, while the remaining 194 were related to fertilizers. Out of these, 254 shops were subjected to rigorous sample collection, the official added.
During the extensive drive, a total of 529 samples were collected, comprising 293 samples of insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides, along with 236 samples of fertilizers. These samples will be sent for thorough testing, the results of which may play a crucial role in the investigation related to Badhaal village.
The entire exercise was conducted jointly by Executive Magistrate, Police, Health and Agriculture department under the close supervision of Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC) Rajouri, Dr Raj Kumar Thapa.
Eleven patients, who were admitted to the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital, Rajouri after falling ill due to the mysterious illness, have fully recovered and were discharged on Monday, official said.
A team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, concluded a three-day visit to Rajouri, where they examined patients from Badhaal village and collected various samples as part of their investigation from Friday to Sunday.
During their visit, the six-member AIIMS team, including toxicology specialists, conducted interviews and recorded clinical histories of the 11 patients undergoing treatment for the mysterious illness.
Sources said doctors at GMC Rajouri administered atropine, an anti-poison drug, to the affected patients.
Badhaal village remains under containment, with 79 families still in isolation as a precautionary measure.
Eight teams of Government officials are taking care of over 700 livestock in the village, ensuring food, water, and medical attention for the animals.
To safeguard the remaining 808 households, comprising 3,700 individuals, the village has been divided into 14 zones, each monitored by multi-departmental teams comprising 182 officials, an official said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
