Japanese Encephalitis toll at 363

Gorakhpur, Nov 29 (UNI) The deadly Japanese Encephalitis (JE) continued to kill children in eastern Uttar Pradesh, with the toll mounting to 363, following four more deaths in the last 48 hours.

Since April, almost 2,000 people suffering from JE have been admitted to different hospitals in the region, majorly at Baba Raghav Das Medical College here.

Joint director health Dr Umakant Prasad said 45 patients were still under treatment.

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

Of the total cases, about 210 pertained to Bihar, while Nepal accounted for 8 JE cases reported so far.

Out of the 363 JE casualties, 45 victims hailed from Bihar.

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.

UNI VS SSC HT1907