Japanese Encephalitis death in city hospital, toll rises to 118

Kolkata, Aug 1: Japanese Encephalitis claimed the life of a 56-year-old man at the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital in the early hours today.

With his death, the toll from the disease in the state rose to 118 since January this year, West Bengal Health Services Director Biswaranjan Satpathy told PTI. "The patient, Narayan Sarkar, passed away early today morning.

He had tested positive for the JE virus, had a multi-organ failure and was taken to the Calcutta Medical College where he was put on ventilator last night. It is unfortunate that we could not save him despite all our efforts," Satpathy said.

Asked whether he would describe Sarkar's death as the first death due to JE in the city, the health official said, "We would not call it as the first death due to JE in the city because he was from Kalyani in Nadia district."

The patient, who was working in Assam, had been admitted in a Guwahati hospital where he tested positive for JE, Satpathy said. From there Sarkar was taken to a Kalyani Hospital and was later referred to the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine (CSTM), he said.

"At first we took him to be a resident of Guwahati but today we came to know that he is from Kalyani and was working in Assam," Satpathy said.

Sarkar, was admitted to the CSTM on July 22 with high temperature and complaints related to diabetes. Sarkar, his family members, said had been suffering from cardiac problems for a long time and was also a diabetic.

PTI