Japanese Encephalitis toll at 200

Gorakhpur, Oct 3 (UNI) The endemic Japanese Encephalitis (JE) continues to claim lives in eastern Uttar Pradesh with the toll mounting to 200, following the death of four more children in the last 24 hours.

Joint Director Health Dr Umakant Prasad said since April 1, 186 people suffering from JE had been admitted to the Baba Raghav Das Medical College here.

Almost 83 patients -- including 12 fresh cases -- are still under treatment. Two patients are recuperating at the Gorakhpur district hospital.

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

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

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