Japanese Encephalitis toll mounts to 176

Gorakhpur, Sep 22 (UNI) The deadly vector-borne menace, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), continued to claim lives of children in eastern Uttar Pradesh with the toll mounting to 176, following one more death today.

Joint director health Dr Umakant Prasad said since April, almost 1,050 people suffering from JE had been admitted at Baba Raghav Das Medical College here.

About 100 patients -- including 19 fresh cases -- are still under treatment. Six and two JE patients respectively are also recuperating at the Gorakhpur and Deoria district hospitals.

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

At least 139 cases pertain to Bihar, while Nepal accounts for four JE cases reported so far. Of the 176 JE deaths, 26 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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