15-year-old girl dies of Japanese Encephalitis in Pathsala

Bajali: In a tragic incident, a 15 old girl dies of Japanese encephalitis at Pathsala in Barpeta district of Assam.

As per reports, the deceased has been identified as Ankita Das was a student of Class X of Bagana High School in Bajali subdivision under Barpeta district.

A pall of gloom has descended in the entire area after the death of the girl.

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) has claimed as many as 21 lives in Assam this year. Apart from this, 69 cases have tested Japanese Encephalitis positive in the State. Gauging the gravity of the situation of the vector-borne disease in the State, a central team is visiting the State. The Central team is to take part at a meeting with top health officials of the State government on Monday.

According to a source in the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), adult vaccination for JE has been stopped in the State since 2016-17. “Of late, we’ve identified as many as ten districts – Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Udalguri and Barpeta – as JE prone, and sent the report to the Central government,” the source said. The source said that the NVBDCP wants resumption of the adult vaccination programme in Assam.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an infection of the brain caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). While most infections result in little or no symptoms, occasional inflammation of the brain occurs. In these cases, symptoms may include headache, vomiting, fever, confusion, and seizures. This occurs about 5 to 15 days after infection.

JEV is generally spread by mosquitoes, specifically those of the Culex type. Pigs and wild birds serve as a reservoir for the virus. The disease mostly occurs outside of cities. Diagnosis is based on blood or cerebrospinal fluid testing.

Prevention is generally with the Japanese encephalitis vaccine, which is both safe and effective. Other measures include avoiding mosquito bites. Once infected there is no specific treatment, with care being supportive. This is generally carried out in the hospital. Permanent problems occur in up to half of the people who recover from JE.

The disease occurs in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. About 3 billion people live in areas where the disease occurs. About 68,000 symptomatic cases occur a year with about 17,000 deaths. Often cases occur in outbreaks. The disease was first described in 1871.

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