Japanese Encephalitis death toll at 161

Gorakhpur, Sep 15 (UNI) The toll due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in eastern Uttar Pradesh reached 161, following the death of four more children today.

Joint Director, health Dr Umakant Prasad said the patients' inflow was continuing unabated at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College here.

Since April this year, a total of 946 people, mostly children, sufferring from JE have been admitted at the medical college, of which 105 -- including 12 fresh cases -- are still under treatment.

Four JE patients each were also recuperating at the Gorakhpur and Deoria district hospitals.

The patients belong to Gorakhpur, Deoria, Maharajganj, Sant Kabirnagar, Kushinagar, Basti, Siddharthnagar, Azamgarh, Gonda and Balrampur district of UP.

At least 126 cases pertain to Bihar, while Nepal accounts for four JE cases reported here. Of the 161 JE deaths, 24 victims hailed from Bihar, Dr Prasad informed.

Gorakhpur has the dubious distiction of being the JE epicentre in the region. The endemic afflicts eastern UP during monsoon every year.

The government had undertaken a massive vaccination drive against the vector-borne disease, however, the efficacy and penetration of the drive has come under cloud with the mounting toll.

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