Jammu Tawi, Jan 16: Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday said that in view of the mysterious deaths in Budhal area of Rajouri district, the situation is closely being monitored whereas an unexplained illness has claimed 14 lives and one child admitted in SMGS hospital is critical.
Investigation and samples empirically indicate that the incidents are not due to a communicable disease of bacterial or viral origin and that there was no public health angle.
Pertinently, all samples have tested negative for any viral or bacteriological etiology and the tests were conducted on different samples in some of the most reputed labs of the country.
These include National Institute of Virology Pune, National Centre for disease control New Delhi, National Institute of Toxicology and Rsearch Lucknow, Defence Research Development Establishment Gwalior, the Microbiology Department of PGIMER Chandigarh besides the ICMR-Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, GMC Jammu.
An official said that the incident came into notice on December 7, 2024, when a family of seven got ill after a community meal, resulting in five fatalities.
On December 12, 2024, he said that a family of nine got affected, claiming three lives while the third incident occurred on January 12, 2025, involving a family of ten who fell ill after consuming another community meal, with six children requiring hospitalization.
Responding promptly, the Govt took a number of steps to find root cause of the unusual illness.
The Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakina Itoo, visited the spot along with other cabinet colleagues, besides chairing several meetings with the Health and Medical Education Department, District Administration, and other related departments to find the cause of the illness and provide necessary healthcare facilities to the affected.
Chief Secretary J&K, Atal Dulloo, also chaired a series of meetings with health authorities, administration, technical experts from across the country, and police to ensure thorough fact-finding and provide the best healthcare facilities to the affected.
The department of Health and Medical Education has been providing the best possible treatment and management to the patients besides reviewing the situation on a daily basis.
Experts from some of the most reputed institutions of the country have been arranged to manage the situation and understand the causative factors of the deaths.
Secretary Department of Health Research, MOHFW and DG ICMR Govt of India Dr. Rajeev Bahl held a video conference to discuss strategies and steps to rule out any epidemic.
The Government took several steps immediately after the first incident on December 7, including deputing a medical team along with the food safety department to collect food and water samples, organizing medical camps, establishing mobile medical units, door-to-door screening, and deploying rapid action teams.
A team of the state rapid response experts, including epidemiologists, microbiologists, and others from DHS Jammu, GMC Jammu, and Rajouri, visited the area to conduct detailed screening and collect contact tracing samples. Experts from NCDC, NIV Pune, and PGI Chandigarh also visited the area to assist in containing the situation.
The Clinical reports, lab investigations, and environmental samples indicate that the incidents are not due to a communicable disease.
The toxicological analysis conducted by CSIR-IITR has detected toxins in multiple biological specimens.
Meanwhile Rajouri police has formed a SIT for investigating the deaths. Efforts are on by the J&K police to investigate the incident.
Serious about Budhal tragedy: Minister
Srinagar, Jan 16: Minister for Health & Medical Education, Sakina Itoo on Thursday said the government is deeply committed to investigating the recent deaths in Rajouri.
Speaking to reporters in Jammu, Itoo said the matter involves precious lives. She urged that politicizing the issue should be avoided.
“The government is taking the investigation very seriously, and every effort is being made to uncover the reasons behind these tragic deaths,” she said.
Itoo dismissed claims of delayed action by the health department, saying the department had screened approximately 3,500 villagers in the affected areas.
“All necessary samples related to the investigation were collected by the health department, and I commend their efforts. The samples have all tested negative,” she said.
The minister further said that food and water samples consumed by the affected persons were also tested, but no contaminants were found.
“Samples were analysed at top institutions, including ICMR Pune, NCDC Delhi, DRDE Gwalior, and PGI-Chandigarh. The results from these analyses of food and water samples yielded no evidence of contamination,” she added.
Regarding delays, Itoo said forensic science laboratory (FSL) reports typically take over 20 days. “The government has been actively involved in the investigation from day one,” she said.
“No virus or infection was found in any of the samples, but it remains a subject of investigation, which is ongoing,” she added.
