Union minister reveals reason behind 17 mysterious deaths in Rajouri
What's the story
Union Minister Jitendra Singh has said that the unidentified disease, which has claimed 17 lives and affected 38 others in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir since December 2024, is caused by a toxin.
This rules out any infection, virus, or bacteria as the cause.
"I think the discussion has started but the first test was conducted by a toxicology laboratory in Lucknow, CSIR," he said.
Toxin discovery
Neurotoxins identified in initial tests
The first tests were conducted by a Lucknow-based toxicology laboratory under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
These tests found neurotoxins responsible for brain swelling in the deceased.
Neurotoxins are poisonous substances that interfere with the normal functioning of the nervous system, causing severe neurological damage or even death.
However, the exact source of these neurotoxins is still unknown.
Ongoing probe
Shah orders more probe
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered an inter-ministerial team headed by the Ministry of Home Affairs to probe the incidents further.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said all deaths were reported from three families in the village.
Government Medical College Rajouri's Dr. AS Bhatia confirmed all the deceased had brain swelling or edema.
Samples tested at premier labs, including National Centre for Disease Control and National Institute of Virology, showed no communicable diseases but confirmed toxin presence.
Symptoms
Patients experienced fever, pain, nausea
Patients affected by this illness showed symptoms of fever, pain, nausea, and loss of consciousness before dying within days of being admitted to the hospital.
The deaths occurred between December 7 and January 19 in the rural Badhaal village in Rajouri.
According to officials, four more villagers, close relatives of the deceased families, are still in critical condition at the hospital.