Japanese Encephalitis claims 2 more, toll at 202

Gorakhpur, Sep 27 (UNI) The killer vector-borne menace, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), continued to claim lives of children in eastern Uttar Pradesh with the toll mounting to 202, following two more deaths in the last 24 hours.

Talking to UNI today, Joint Director Medical Health and Family Welfare Dr L P Rawat said 30 new patients had been admitted at the famous Baba Raghav Das Medical College here.

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

Nearly 200 people were still convalescing in hospitals.

Gorakhpur has the dubious distiction of being the JE epicentre in the region. The endemic afflicts eastern UP during monsoon every year. Last year, the killer disease had taken almost 1,000 people under its jaws.

The government undertakes a massive vaccination drive against the vector-borne disease every year, however, the efficacy and penetration of the drive comes under cloud with the mounting toll.

UNI