Organophosphate, used in pesticides, likely behind 17 deaths that spread panic in J&K village: Doctors

“We administered atropine injection to patients brought from Baddal and the results have been positive,” a senior doctor told The Indian Express.

The doctors, however, made it clear that it was too early to come to a conclusion on the matter. Samples taken from patients, as well as from food and water in the village, are being evaluated in the top laboratories of the country, they said, adding that a conclusion about the cause of the deaths can only be reached after reports from these labs are received.

The 17 people from Baddal who died since December 7 after showing symptoms of fever, breathing issues and sweating, were all from three families.

The condition of 11 others from these three families who are admitted in the Government Medical College in Rajouri are now stable, doctors said. Three sisters were discharged on Monday.

Organophosphates are generally used to protect crops from pests and even to control the spread of disease by insects. They work by disrupting the transmission of nerve signals in exposed organisms with fatal results, experts said.

An inter-ministerial team set up by Union Home Minister Amit Shah had visited the village earlier this month to look into the deaths. The team is yet to submit its report.

The J&K administration has sought help from medical experts at the country’s top institutes and rushed teams of doctors and health staff to the village as the number of deaths increased without an immediate cause becoming clear. Initially, the deaths were believed to have been caused by some form of food poisoning.

However, after a Lucknow-based lab of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research laboratory found traces of some toxin in the bodies of those who died, doctors at GMC changed the way they approached the treatment. In trying out different ways to treat the toxins, they also tried atropine injections, which resulted in the remaining patients becoming stable.

Last week, the J&K administration had declared Baddal village a containment zone and quarantined nearly 300 people. A bauli, or natural spring, was sealed after officials found traces of some pesticide or insecticide in the water.

The J&K Police have also formed a special investigation team to investigate the deaths.