Water logging spurts Encephalitis cases in UP

Fresh cases of Japanese Encephalitis have been reported in Uttar Pradesh, pushing the death toll up to 98.

Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Sept. 11 : Fresh cases of Japanese Encephalitis have been reported in Uttar Pradesh, pushing the death toll up to 98.

The latest spurt follows incessant monsoon rains in the region. Water logging has created a major sanitation problem in small towns and villages.

Several residential areas around Gorakhpur remain submerged weeks after the last substantive shower."Our children are coming down with all sorts of diseases. Their fever is not going away. There is no visible way the water can drain out," said Rajendra Singh, a esident.Hospitals are full of Encephalitis patients, mostly children, from the region and Nepal.

"The doctors say all these children are suffering from the same disease. My son's condition is still serious. He has been unconscious for four days now," said Kanhaiya Prasad, a father.

A health official said pig sties have been identified as a major source for the spread of the disease."The pig sties cannot be removed. Our department, however, is fogging and spraying them with the required chemicals," said R.K. Gupta, Additional Director, Health, Gorakhpur.Last year, Encephalitis killed over a thousand people in Uttar Pradesh.

Since January 2007, over 200 have died across India, with Uttar Pradesh and Assam accounting for a bulk of the cases.

The disease is caused by a virus spread by mosquitoes and affects the brain. Symptoms include high fever, severe headaches and convulsions and can lead to paralysis, coma and death.

According to health officials, Japanese Encephalitis has a fatality rate of between 30 and 60 percent. But many who survive are physically or mentally handicapped because of damage to the brain and other parts of the nervous system.

ANI