One more under the jaws of JE

Gorakhpur, Sep 24 (UNI) The fatal Japanese Encephalitis (JE) toll in Uttar Pradesh mounted to 178 with the death of one more child during the last 24 hrs.

Till now, at least 1068 people, mostly children, suffering from JE have been admitted to the medical college, of which 178 have died.

Joint director health Dr Umakant Prasad said here the inflow of patients has continued unbated to the Baba Raghav Das Medical College, which has become the centre of the JE menace. As many as 92 patients including 12 fresh cases are undergoing treatment in hospital.

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

Gorakhpur and Basti have the dubious distiction of being the JE epicentre in the region. The endemic afflicts eastern UP during monsoon every year and continues to haunt till the end of November.

JE is a disease, which is spread to humans' by infected mosquitoes. It is a mosquito-borne virus diseases that can affect the central nervous system causing severe complications and even death. Among the survivors, 30 per cent would have serious brain damage including paralysis. The endemic was first detected in 1978.

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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