JE scourge continues with 318 deaths in UP

Gorakhpur, Oct 5 (UNI) The vector-borne Japanese Encephalitis (JE) toll today mounted to 318, following the death of two more children in East Uttar Pradesh.

The fresh casualty comprised one each in Gorakhpur and Sant Kabirnagar district.

Sources said so far 318 people have died due to JE. Total 1,074 JE patients have reported at the Baba Raghav Das hospital and various other hospitals in the district this season.

In the last 24 hours, seven fresh cases have come to light.

The scourge has killed several thousand people in the region over the last decade.

JE menace generally breaks out in Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Sant Kabirnagar, Deoria, Kushinagar, Basti, Siddharthnagar, Azamgarh, Gonda, Bahraich, Mau, Ballia and Balrampur districts of UP.

The endemic afflicts eastern UP during monsoon every year till the onset of winters.

Gorakhpur has the dubious distiction of being the JE epicentre in the region and due to the lack of medical facilties, patients from Nepal, also come here for treatment.

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 JAS RJ HT1550