AFP on January 25 reported that a strange disease occurring in the Indian-administered region of Jammu and Kashmir has killed 17 people, including 13 children, since the end of last year. The deaths occurred in Badhaal village in Rajouri area in Jammu and Kashmir since early December 2024.
Indian Home Ministry officials arrived at Badhaal village on January 20 to meet relatives of victims who died from a strange disease.
Mr. Amarjeet Singh Bhatia, head of a government medical school in Rajouri, said all the victims suffered brain and nervous system damage. Other recorded symptoms include fever, body pain, nausea, heavy sweating and loss of consciousness, and death after a few days of hospitalization. The patients died from December 7, 2024 to January 19.
Local media reported that the village was locked down this week and about 230 people were quarantined. The winter break for students has also been canceled to deal with this medical emergency. Both public and private gatherings have been banned.
The victims were members of three related families. Four villagers and relatives of the above families are being treated at the hospital but are in critical condition.
The Indian federal government has opened an investigation into this mysterious disease. Health Minister Jitendra Singh denied that the cause of the illness was an infectious pathogen and said that preliminary investigation results showed that the deaths were not due to infection, viral or bacterial infection but could have been poisoning. .
Villagers fetch water from tankers in Rajouri after deaths from a strange disease
“There is a long list of poisons being tested. I believe the solution will soon be found as well as the bad actions, if any,” said Minister Jitendra Singh. According to the sheet India Todaymore than 200 food samples were tested. This week, local authorities also banned the use of water from a stream after test results showed the water sample tested positive for pesticides.
In another incident, authorities in the western Indian city of Pune recorded at least 73 cases, including 26 women, of a rare neurological disorder. Patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that when suffering from this syndrome, the patient’s immune system will attack the peripheral nerves.
The syndrome can affect the nerves that control muscle movement, which can lead to muscle weakness, loss of feeling in the limbs and difficulty swallowing and breathing. Among the patients, 14 are on ventilators.
