Japanese Encephalitis toll at 190

Gorakhpur, Aug 30 (UNI) The Japanese Encephalitis (JE) toll reached 190 following four more deaths today in this district of Uttar Pradesh.

Fresh deaths, reported from Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur, included two children of Gorakhpur and one each of Ballia and Ghazipur.

Since January 1, at least 1029 JE patients had been admitted of which 190 died.

Almost 169 patients -- including 16 fresh cases -- are in remission.

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

Last year, the killer disease had taken almost 1,000 people under its jaws.

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

UNI PDM ST SB RN2134