Japanese Encephalitis toll mounts to 276

Gorakhpur, Oct 26 (UNI) The deadly vector-borne menace, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) continued to claim lives in eastern Uttar Pradesh with the toll mounting to 276, following five more deaths in the last 24 hrs.

Joint director health Umakant Prasad said over 1,500 people suffering from JE had been admitted at the famous Baba Raghav Das Medical College here and other hospitals since April, 2006.

Almost 77 patients -- including 9 fresh cases -- are still under treatment.

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

At least 191 cases pertain to Bihar, while Nepal accounts for 8 JE cases reported so far. Of the 276 JE deaths, 41 victims hailed from Bihar, Dr Prasad informed.

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

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

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