102 ‘encephalitis’ deaths in NB ring alarm bells

SNS, Siliguri, 21 July 2014: The director of health services (DHS), Biswaranjan Satpathy, today said 102 persons have died of the acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in seven districts of north Bengal so far this year (as of yesterday). He termed the outbreak as alarming as the number of persons who died of Japanese encephalitis (JE) was abnormally high than the usual rate and as compared at the national level.

Expressing concern over the increasing death rate, Mr Satpathy said the outbreak could take epidemic proportions in the region if it is not controlled immediately.

“The rate of JE is 20 to 25 percent on the total AES cases. We are just standing on the border line of an epidemic, because 24 per cent cases have been diagnosed as JE,” he told reporters here.

According to him, 344 cases were detected since January 2014 and of them, 83 have been diagnosed as JE. Of them, 21 persons died of JE, while of the 344 cases, 261 were termed as AES, and 81 persons died of this. Five more persons died of the AES in the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) today.

According to the DHS, 385 AES cases were detected in 2013, based on a report of the NBMCH, while 115 persons died, and five more died of JE. At the NBMCH, 36 persons died of AES between 7 July and 13 July, and 11 died between 14 July and 17 July. Two persons died of the AES on 18 July, three on 19 July and eight on 20 July. Mr Satpathy held a review meeting with top health officials, including chief medical officers of this region at Uttarkanya, the north Bengal branch secretariat, today. He visited the NBMCH after the meeting. Talking to reporters, Mr Satpathy said that the health department had detected AES and JE cases in this region since 2001 and had urged the Union government to set up a centre for testing the diseases.

“The NBMCH is the only testing centre for AES and JE in north Bengal, where testing began in December 2011. We used to depend on test reports from the National Institute of Virology in Pune earlier. Though we are planning to start AES and JE testing in the Malda Medical College and Hospital too, we are right now in no position to do so due to lack of experts there,” Mr Satpathy said. The malaria-prone Jalpaiguri district has been identified as badly affected by the AES and JE, and health officials detected some places of ‘transmission’ of the diseases in this district. According to the DHS, ‘fever clinics’ would be set up in six districts of north Bengal, except South Dinajpur, which is not affected so much.

In Jalpaiguri, such clinics will be set up at Dhupguri, Malbazar, Maynaguri and other affected areas. Health officials have been asked to conduct door-to-door screening for the AES, JE and Malaria virus. Mr Satpathy disclosed that his department is in no position to keep a close watch on water birds, but that it would continue surveillance on pigs which carry the AES and JE virus. “After returning to Kolkata, I will talk to the Animal Resources Department and launch a vaccination drive in piggeries if the civic bodies cannot shift the sties from localities,” he said. He further pointed out that the JE vaccination drive, which has started in AES and JE affected regions, covered part of the population. “But the positive sign is that vaccinated persons who were between 0 to 15 years of age were not affected so much this time,” he said.