SRINAGAR: The death toll from a mysterious illness in Rajouri’s Budhal area climbed to nine on Monday, after a woman from Badaal village, Razim Akhtar, succumbed to sudden medical complications, media reports said. The unexplained deaths, which began on December 8, have caused widespread panic in the region, prompting some families to move their children to safer locations.
Razim Akhtar, who had already lost three children to the same illness, fell ill on Monday afternoon. She was initially treated at the Community Health Centre (CHC) Kotranka before being referred to GMC Rajouri, where she unexpectedly died despite responding well to treatment. Doctors remain baffled, with no clear indication of the cause of her death or the preceding fatalities. An autopsy showed she was pregnant.
Authorities had initially suspected food poisoning, but subsequent cases have shown symptoms that do not match this diagnosis. The deaths, spanning two families and including seven children, one man, and one woman, remain a mystery.
Adding urgency to the investigation, the government has deployed an ICMR team equipped with a mobile Biosafety Level-3 laboratory to the area. A team from GMC Jammu has also visited the region, but no conclusive findings have been reported yet.
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