Japanese Encephalitis toll reaches 191

Gorakhpur, Sep 30 (UNI) Japanese Encephalitis (JE) continued to claim lives in eastern Uttar Pradesh with the toll mounting to 191, following the death of two more children today.

Joint director health Dr Umakant Prasad said since April 1,143 people suffering from JE had been admitted to the famous Baba Raghav Das Medical College here.

Almost 70 patients -- including 5 fresh cases -- are still under treatment. Some patients are also recuperating at the Gorakhpur and Deoria district hospitals.

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

About 144 cases pertain to Bihar, while Nepal accounts for six JE cases reported so far. Of the 191 JE deaths, 29 victims hailed from Bihar.

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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