Japanese Encephalitis: Death toll rises to 27 in Assam

The death toll due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Assam rose to 27 this month after four more people lost their lives on Saturday.

All four deaths were reported in Jorhat district.

Meanwhile, the state reported nine new cases, 1 from Goalpara, 1 from Kokrajhar, 2 from Sivsagar and Sonitpur, and 3 from Golaghat on July 16.

Since July 1, 169 cases of Japanese Encephalitis have been reported in the state.

All the districts in the state have formed a District Rapid Response team to tackle cases on Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and JE.

State Health Minister Keshav Mahanta also took an important decision on the prevention of Japanese Encephalitis in a meeting with top officials of the health department at the NHM state office on  July 14.

As per the decision, few designated civil hospitals across 10 districts have been delegated for emergency treatment of Japanese Encephalitis patients.

These designated hospitals will have all the necessary facilities including doctors, medicines and ICUs for treatment of Japanese Encephalitis.

The number of cases of Japanese Encephalitis in the state has been increasing rapidly since the floods subsided.

Japanese Encephalitis is a viral brain infection that spreads  by the bite of a specific species of mosquito known as Culex.