JE claims 215 lives in UP

Gorakhpur, Oct 8 (UNI) The fatal Japanese Encephalitis (JE) toll in Uttar Pradesh has reached a staggering figure of 215, following the death of three children here during the last 24 hours.

Till now, at least 1250 people, mostly children, sufferring from JE have been admitted at the medical college, of which 215 have died.

Joint director health Dr Umakant Prasad said here the inflow of patients was continuing unbated at the famous Baba Raghav Das Medical College. As many as 95 patients including 15 fresh cases are undergoing treatment in the hospital.

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

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.

Sources said JE is a disease, which is spread to humans' by infected mosquitoes.It is one of a group of mosquito-borne virus diseases that can affect the central nervous system causing severe complications and even death.

It usually starts as a flu-like illness, with fever, chills, exhaustion, headache, nausea and vomiting, while confusion and agitation can also occur in thje early stage. The disease can progress into serious infection of the brain. Among the survivors, 30 per cent would have serious brain damage including paralysis.

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