Indian authorities baffled as mystery disease claims 17 lives in IIOJK

SRINAGAR: Indian authorities in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) are investigating a mysterious disease that has claimed the lives of 17 people, local media reports said on Saturday.

The deaths, including those of 13 children, have occurred in the remote village of Badhaal in IIOJK's Rajouri area since early December.

The village was declared a containment zone earlier this week with around 230 people quarantined, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported.

All of the fatalities had damage to the brain and nervous system, Amarjeet Singh Bhatia, who heads Rajouri's government medical college, said.

"The winter vacations have also been cancelled to deal with the medical alert situation," Indian state media quoted Bhatia as saying.

The victims were members of three related families.

The federal government has launched an investigation with health minister Jitendra Singh saying an initial probe suggested the deaths were "not due to any infection, virus or bacteria but rather a toxin".

"There is a long series of toxins being tested. I believe a solution will be found soon. Additionally, if there was any mischief or malicious activity, that is also being investigated," Singh told PTI.

In a separate medical incident, authorities in the western city of Pune recorded at least 73 cases of a rare nerve disorder.

According to an official, those infected with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) include 26 women and 14 of the patients are on ventilator support.

In GBS, a person's immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The syndrome can impact nerves that control muscle movement which may lead to muscle weakness, and loss of sensation in the legs of arms and those infected can face trouble swallowing and breathing.