JE claims 262 lives in UP

Gorakhpur, Oct 23 (UNI) The toll due to the killer Japanese Encephalitis (JE) toll in Uttar Pradesh today reached a staggering figure of 262, following the death of five children in the last 24 hours.

So far, at least 1,473 people, mostly children, suffering from JE have been admitted here, of which 262 have died, Joint Director Health Dr Umakant Prasad said.

As many as 83 patients including 18 fresh cases are undergoing treatment in hospital.

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

Gorakhpur has the dubious distiction of being the JE epicentre in the region. The endemic afflicts eastern UP during monsoon every year.

JE usually starts as a flu-like illness, with fever, exhaustion, headache, nausea and vomiting. It is a group of mosquito-borne virus diseases, that can affect the central nervous system causing severe complications and even death.

The disease can progress into serious brain infection. Among the survivors, 30 per cent would have serious brain damage including paralysis.

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