Japanese Encephalitis toll at 299

Gorakhpur, Sep 27 (UNI) The vector-borne deadly Japanese Encephalitis (JE) toll in eastern Uttar Pradesh reached 299, following the death of five more children today.

Among the deceased two each belonged to Maharajganj and Kushinagar, whereas one was of Gorakhpur district.

Official sources said so far, 1,583 JE patients had reported at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College here and other district hospitals in the division, of which 299 had died.

Today, 30 new JE patients were admitted here, of which 31 had been discharged, however, 161 were in remission.

JE patients mostly trickle from Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Sant Kabirnagar, Deoria, Kushinagar, Basti, Siddharthnagar, Azamgarh, Gonda, Bahraich, Mau, Ballia 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 and continues to take people under its jaws till the onset of winters.

Last year, JE had killed almost 1,000 people in UP, while the scourge has already killed several thousands of people in the region over the last decade.

UNI PDM SV NS1848