Senior officers visit area to assess ground situation
STATE TIMES NEWS
RAJOURI/JAMMU: A five-year-old girl died and her five other siblings were admitted to a hospital after they fell seriously ill in a village in Rajouri district on Sunday, officials said.
The siblings belonged to Badhaal village of Kotranka sub-division where nine members of two different families had lost their lives due to a mysterious disease in December last year.
The officials said that six children of Mohammad Aslam were brought to community health centre Kandi for medical check-up on Saturday evening.
The children were initially referred to the Government Medical College (GMC) associated hospital in Rajouri town and later four of them were shifted to a hospital in Jammu where the girl breathed her last early Sunday, they said.
The officials said two of the siblings are under treatment in the isolation ward of GMC Rajouri, while three others have been admitted to GMC hospital Jammu.
Jammu GMC Principal Dr Ashutosh Gupta had last month revealed that preliminary investigations had pointed towards viral infection as the cause behind the mysterious deaths but said that more work needs to be done to reach the final conclusion.
Various teams of experts from Pune’s National Institute of Virology, PGI Chandigarh, AIIMS Delhi and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, had also visited the village to assist in the investigations.
Meanwhile, DIG Rajouri-Poonch, Tejinder Singh, Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma, and Senior Superintendent of Police, Gaurav Sikarwar, visited Badhaal to assess the prevailing ground situation and ensure immediate support to the community.
As part of the relief measures, the DC Rajouri deployed ambulances, health teams and ASHA workers to provide essential medical assistance to the residents. Furthermore, other departments have been activated to ensure seamless coordination and cooperation with the general public.
Samples have been collected from ill patients and investigations have been initiated to determine the cause of the ailments. The administration is closely monitoring the situation and will take necessary action based on the outcome of the investigations. The general public is advised not to panic and to follow any advisories issued by the authorities.
It is pertinent to mention that, apart from health teams, the police has also started a fresh investigation in this matter.
During the visit, the Deputy Commissioner interacted with the locals to understand their immediate concerns and emphasized the importance of timely intervention and joint departmental efforts to address their needs. SSP Gaurav Sikarwar assured the residents of enhanced security measures and prompt action on any emergent issues.
The district administration remains committed to ensuring the safety, health, and welfare of the residents of Badhaal. All necessary steps are being taken to address their concerns and provide comprehensive support.