Poonch : All patients from Badhal village in Rajouri district are to be discharged today after a series of unexplained deaths had taken 17 lives since December 2024, Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma said.
Although the discharge is a positive sign, officials will continue close monitoring of the situation.The fatalities, which started on 7th December 2024, initiated large-scale investigations that eliminated the possibility of bacterial and viral causes, and pending evidence suggests possible exposure to toxins, though the exact source has not been identified. In precaution, infected families had been quarantined in isolation facilities, and the village was made a containment zone.
Addressing the media, Deputy Commissioner Sharma reiterated that in spite of the discharges, the administration will maintain close surveillance and monitoring of the affected individuals. The officials have sealed the foodstuffs from the affected area and are distributing fresh foods to the residents as a precautionary measure.The episode attracted much interest among health officials and investigators as they try to pin down the definite cause of fatalities.
