By Express News Service
GUWAHATI: After fighting two devastating waves of floods recently, Assam is now battling an outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis or JE.
According to National Health Mission (NHM), Assam, 27 persons have lost their lives to the disease from July 1-16 this year. Altogether 169 cases were reported during the period.
On July 16 (Saturday), nine cases and four deaths were reported. The deaths occurred in Jorhat district. The nine cases were reported from Golaghat (three), Sivasagar and Sonitpur (two each) and Goalpara and Kokrajhar (one each).
Acute Encephalitis Syndrome or AES also claimed the lives of 16 people this year.
The Health department directed all districts to form a rapid response team and take appropriate measures to curb the outbreak of the disease.
The NHM, Assam said health teams across the state had been instructed to intensify monitoring and timely reporting of the cases of fever for follow-up action.
“The tests for JE are available free of cost in all district hospitals and government medical college and hospitals,” the NHM, Assam said.
Scores of people die of JE and AES in Assam every year. JE is a viral brain infection which spreads through mosquito bites.
In 2018, JE and AES killed 277 people in Assam. The numbers of deaths in 2019, 2020 and 2021 were 514, 147 and 131 respectively.
The floods this year claimed the lives 195 people, including 19 in the rain-induced landslides. Thirty-seven others were reported missing. An estimated 90 lakh people were affected in 34 districts.
GUWAHATI: After fighting two devastating waves of floods recently, Assam is now battling an outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis or JE.
According to National Health Mission (NHM), Assam, 27 persons have lost their lives to the disease from July 1-16 this year. Altogether 169 cases were reported during the period.
On July 16 (Saturday), nine cases and four deaths were reported. The deaths occurred in Jorhat district. The nine cases were reported from Golaghat (three), Sivasagar and Sonitpur (two each) and Goalpara and Kokrajhar (one each).
Acute Encephalitis Syndrome or AES also claimed the lives of 16 people this year.
The Health department directed all districts to form a rapid response team and take appropriate measures to curb the outbreak of the disease.
The NHM, Assam said health teams across the state had been instructed to intensify monitoring and timely reporting of the cases of fever for follow-up action.
“The tests for JE are available free of cost in all district hospitals and government medical college and hospitals,” the NHM, Assam said.
Scores of people die of JE and AES in Assam every year. JE is a viral brain infection which spreads through mosquito bites.
In 2018, JE and AES killed 277 people in Assam. The numbers of deaths in 2019, 2020 and 2021 were 514, 147 and 131 respectively.
The floods this year claimed the lives 195 people, including 19 in the rain-induced landslides. Thirty-seven others were reported missing. An estimated 90 lakh people were affected in 34 districts.
