Japanese Encephalitis toll at 334

Gorakhpur, Nov 13 (UNI) The deadly Japanese Encephalitis (JE) toll in east Uttar Pradesh has reached a staggering figure of 334, following the death of three children today.

This year, a total of 1,742 children sufferring from JE have been admitted to different hospitals in the region, of which 64 -- including 14 fresh cases -- are still under treatment.

Joint director health Dr Umakant Prasad said the inflow of patients was continuing at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College here.

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

Gorakhpur has the dubious distiction of being the JE epicentre in the region. The endemic afflicts eastern UP during the monsoons 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 a cloud with the mounting toll.

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