SRINAGAR: Authorities in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir were investigating a mysterious disease that has claimed the lives of 17 people, local media reports said Saturday.
\nThe deaths, including those of 13 children, have occurred in the remote village of Badhaal in Jammu\u2019s Rajouri area since early December.
\nThe village was declared a containment zone earlier this week with around 230 people quarantined, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported.
\nAll of the fatalities had damage to the brain and nervous system, Amarjeet Singh Bhatia, who heads Rajouri\u2019s government medical college, said.
\n\u201cThe winter vacations have also been canceled to deal with the medical alert situation,\u201d PTI quoted Bhatia as saying.
\nThe victims were members of three related families.
\nThe federal government has launched an investigation with health minister Jitendra Singh saying an initial probe suggested the deaths were \u201cnot due to any infection, virus or bacteria but rather a toxin.\u201d
\n\u201cThere 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,\u201d PTI quoted Singh as saying.
\nIn a separate medical incident, authorities in the western city of Pune recorded at least 73 cases of a rare nerve disorder.
\nThose infected with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) include 26 women and 14 of the patients are on ventilator support, PTI quoted an official as saying.
\nIn GBS, a person\u2019s immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, according to the World Health Organization.
\nThe syndrome can impact nerves that control muscle movement which may lead to muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the legs of arms and those infected can face trouble swallowing and breathing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SRINAGAR: Authorities in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir were investigating a mysterious disease that has claimed the lives of 17 people, local media reports said Saturday. The deaths, including those of 13 children, have occurred in the remote village of Badhaal in Jammu\u2019s Rajouri area since early December. The village was declared a containment zone earlier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":457524,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-457507","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n