Thirty-eight patients, who were admitted to different hospitals after falling ill due to a mysterious illness at Badhaal village of Rajouri, have been discharged after complete recovery, officials said.
At present 363 individuals from 60 families remain quarantined in various facilities across Rajouri.
The mysterious illness has claimed 17 lives from three families in Badhaal between December 7 and January 19.
Health Secretary Syed Abid Rashid Shah said every measure has been taken to isolate the affected families and provide them with food and water after testing.
“Out of the 55 symptomatic persons, 38 have been discharged after recovery, while 17 deaths have been registered so far,” he said.
Shah said there are currently no new admissions in hospitals, and the existing patients have been examined by teams of doctors from PGIMER, Chandigarh, and AIIMS, New Delhi, he said.
Health teams remain stationed in the village to monitor any new symptoms among the residents, who have all been screened by the healthcare providers.
Divisional Commissioner ( Jammu) Ramesh Kumar said no food or eatables were being exchanged among the families, who have been placed under continuous surveillance.
“At present, 363 individuals from 60 different families have been quarantined, with 592 animals being tended to by the officials from the animal and sheep husbandry department to safeguard their health,” he said.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo emphasised the need for continued vigilance and instructed the sampling of locally used fertilisers, pesticides, and insecticides to determine the root cause.
He called for enhancing local hospital facilities to handle similar situations in the future, including additional ICU beds, oxygen plants, isolation wards, and availability of specific drugs and specialists.
The chief secretary urged AIIMS Delhi to support the local medical staff in capacity building and suggested sending doctors for specialised training and roping in experts to assist in building hospital capacity in the Union Territory.
Simultaneously, Dulloo directed the law enforcement agencies to expedite investigations based on the test reports received, and those awaited from different institutions.
Officials said that to ensure the safety of the remaining households in Badhaal, the village has been divided into 14 clusters which are being monitored by multi-department teams.
All shops and establishments in the village continue to remain sealed, while ration distribution is being strictly supervised, they said.