6-year-old dies of mysterious disease, Rajouri tll mounts to 14

Srinagar : A 6-year-old girl was claimed as latest victim by a mysterious disease in Badhaal village of Rajouri district. So far 14 people have died allegedly due to the mysterious disease and four of them succumbed in last 48 hours only, official sources told.

They said that the latest victim, the 6-year-old Safina Kousar daughter of Mohd Aslam died at SMGS hospital Jammu. The minor girl’s maternal uncle also died of the same disease on Monday last in GMC Rajouri, they said.

Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma, they said, is personally monitoring the situation to ensure timely intervention and mitigation.

The authorities have launched aggressive contact tracing as well as sampling in the area. “Food and water samples have been already collected to ascertain the quality and safety of essential supplies in the region.”

A dedicated team of the Health Department, led by Director Health Jammu, Dr. Rakesh Mangotra, and accompanied by Chief Medical Officer Rajouri, Dr. Manohar Rana, is camping at Kandi Kotranka, the affected area in the village, to oversee the operations, they said.

The administration has also stationed a mobile medical unit and ambulance on standby to address any emergent medical needs.

“The district administration remains committed to the safety and well-being of the residents and urges the public to cooperate with health officials during the ongoing surveillance and interventions,” the administration said in a statement issued on January 13.

“For any health-related concerns, the public is encouraged to reach out to the district control room or the local health authorities.” (GNS)