JE claims 3 more, toll reaches 172

Gorakhpur, Sep 20 (UNI) The fatal Japanese Encephalitis (JE) claimed three children in Uttar Pradesh today, taking the toll to 172.

So far, 1,014 people sufferring from JE have been admitted in Baba Raghav Das Medical College here.

Joint director health Dr Umakant Prasad said 94 patients, including 13 fresh cases, are still recuperating.

The patients hail from Gorakhpur, Deoria, Maharajganj, Sant Kabirnagar, Kushinagar, Basti, Siddharthnagar, Azamgarh, Gonda and Balrampur districts of UP.

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

JE is spread to humans' by infected mosquito. It can affect the central nervous system causing severe complications, even death. The disease continues to haunt since 1978, when it was first detected.

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