While steps are being taken to provide good treatment to others affected by it, the medical experts’ opinion is that this disease is largely because of unhealthy drinking water supply and lack of cleanliness in rural areas, said Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh. “If the state governments give proper attention to supply of potable water, this epidemic can be checked to a great extent,” he said. He has asked the state governments to send a proposal to his ministry for additional assistance. ”In 2012-13, Rs 10,500 crore has been allocated for rural water supply across the country of which Rs 525 crore has been earmarked only for improving quality of drinking water. Of this Rs 525 crore, Biharwill get Rs 61 crore,” he said.

“Bihar is facing scarcity of drinking water but it failed to utilize the funds. In two years, the state failed to avail Rs 500 crore which was to be given as second instalment. In 2012-13, Bihar has been sanctioned Rs 497 crore,” Ramesh said.

Contamination of the drinking water by arsenic, fluoride, iron etc are also of great concern and about 1.08 lakh habitations across the country are facing this problem. “Arsenic is a serious problem and it leads to cancer. This problem is grave in Bihar, West Bengal and Assam while fluoride is found in Bihar, Karnataka, Rajasthan and MP,” he added.

More deaths of AES patients, mostly children from poor families, from the states have been reported and the outbreak of the ailment seems far from being contained. With nine more children dying of AES in Bihar’s Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Patna districts, according to officials Saturday, the toll has risen to a shocking 159 in just three weeks. ”Fresh AES cases have been reported from all 10 affected districts,” a state health department official said.

In Uttar Pradesh, 88 people have succumbed to various strains of AES in the last two weeks, prompting the state government to press the panic button.  Most of the cases have come from the eastern district of Gorakhpur, near Bihar.

In Bihar, as many as 409 children have been detected with AES and of them, 159 have died and 82 admitted to hospitals, said Additional Secretary (Health) R.P. Ojha. The rest have been discharged, he said. 

The worst affected districts include Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, East Champaran and Vaishali.

Health officials say AES has killed lives of 100 children in Muzaffarpur alone. 

Alarmed, Health Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey has asked the striking junior doctors of the Patna Medical College Hospital to resume work.

A team from New Delhi is now in Muzaffarpur, around 75 km from Patna, to help contain the fatal viral disease. 

“All medical colleges and hospitals have been directed to provide free medicines to patients having AES symptoms,” said Health Secretary Vayasji.

However, Bihar is yet to declare AES an epidemic. 

In Uttar Pradesh, health officials say that till June 10, 467 cases of AES came to primary health centres, hospitals and the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur.

Director General of Medical Health Ram Ji Lal said: “The disease has begun spreading a little early this time round, but we are ready to take on it.”

The disease, which killed more than 600 people last season, is peaking in areas around Gorakhpur, officials say. 

Lal said the maximum number of deaths have been reported from Gorakhpur followed by Kushinagar, Deoria and Maharajganj.

However, no infection of Japanese encephalitis, a virulent strain, has been reported, said health officials. 

But they caution that this did not mean that the disease had been contained.

“We are keeping our fingers crossed and doing our best to prevent the epidemic-like situation as last year,” an official told IANS.

Health Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey and Principal Secretary (Health) Amarjit Sinha denied reports that the children were dying due to suspected encephalitis. ”The causes are yet to be ascertained,” Choubey said. Sinha said most deaths were due to excessive heat, dehydration and malnutrition. Till date, 28 children have died in Muzaffarpur and eight in Gaya. Over four dozen children suffering from the mysterious disease have been admitted to hospitals in both districts.  Nearly a dozen are battling for life, said a health official. Some doctors and health officials have reportedly claimed that the children were suffering from symptoms similar to encephalitis. Last year, encephalitis, a mosquito-borne disease, claimed nearly 150 lives in the two districts.

Source: IANS

The mosquito-borne disease claimed nearly 150 lives last year in the state.

This year, 15 children have died in Muzaffarpur and eight in Gaya. Over three dozen children, suspected to be suffering from encephalitis, have been admitted to hospitals in both the districts. “Nearly a dozen are battling for their life,” said a health official.

The state government has directed the officials concerned to take measures including treatment of such patients. “It is not yet confirmed why children are dying. I’ve asked top officials to identify the cause of deaths,” said state Health Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey.

However, former union health minister and doctor C.P. Thakur said the children were dying because of an encephalitis-like disease. “The symptoms are similar to encephalitis,” said Thakur, who is state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, a ruling alliance partner of the Janata Dal (United).

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Ram Kirpal Yadav said that despite children dying of suspected encephalitis, neither Chief Minister Nitish Kumar nor the health minister had visited Muzaffarpur. Muzaffarpur civil surgeon Gayan Bhusan said the children died after contracting high fever followed by convulsions.

Encephalitis is a condition of acute inflammation of the brain resulting either from a viral infection or when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the brain tissue.

Source: IANS