Japanese Encephalitis toll climbs to 443

Gorakhpur, Nov 13 (UNI) The deadly Japanese Encephalitis (JE) toll in Uttar Pradesh has reached 443 with the death of four more children today.

According to sources, the inflow of JE patients continued unabated at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College here.

Since January 1 this year, a total of 2,412 people -- including 10 fresh cases -- sufferring from JE have been admitted at the medical college here, of whom 443 have succumbed. The deceased included two people of Nepal, while 40 of Bihar.

As many as 128 people were still under treatment.

Last year, JE had claimed more than 1,000 lives in UP alone.

The patients belong to Gorakhpur, Deoria, Maharajganj, Sant Kabirnagar, Kushinagar, Basti, Siddharthnagar, Azamgarh, Gonda and Balrampur district of UP. Some cases also pertain to the adjoining districts of Bihar.

The endemic afflicts eastern UP during monsoon every year.

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