Japanese Encephalitis: Alert Sounded in North Tripura

A Correspondent

Agartala: The Tripura Health Department is taking special measures to prevent the possibility of Japanese Encephalitis spreading along areas bordering Assam.

The North District Health Department circulated special instructions to all the health establishments along the Assam border to undertake massive blood test exercise to see if there is presence of any Japanese Encephalitis. Massive blood test operations is already on as part of the anti-malaria drive. Now the health workers are testing for Japanese Encephalitis too.

District Health Officer Jagadish Nama told reporters that they have already organized health camps in various places like Laljuri, Jampui, Dasda, Damcherra, Bhandarima, Fuldungsai, Sabual, Banglabari, etc., and tested 960 blood samples.

According to reports, Japanese Encephalitis is playing havoc in various districts of Assam for the last few days and it has already claimed 53 lives in Assam.

The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) has an incubation period of 2 to 26 days. The vast majority of infections are asymptomatic: only 1 in 250 infections develop into encephalitis.

Severe rigors may mark the onset of this disease in humans. Fever, headache and malaise are other non-specific symptoms of this disease which may last for a period of between 1 and 6 days. Signs which develop during the acute encephalitic stage include neck rigidity, cachexia, hemiparesis, convulsions and a raised body temperature between 38–41 °C (100.4–105.8 °F). Mental retardation is usually developed.

Mortality of this disease varies but is generally higher in children. Transplacental spread has been noted. Lifelong neurological defects such as deafness, emotional lability and hemiparesis may occur in those who have had central nervous system involvement. In known cases, some effects also include nausea, headache, fever, vomiting and sometimes swelling of the testicles.

Also Read: Japanese Encephalitis: The Killer Disease, Read all about it & Know How to Save Yourself from It