Not Encephalitis, but dengue onset suspected in Kurseong

Kurseong SDMO Dr. R Mondal.

EOI, Kurseong, 28 July 2014: If people are down with Japanese Encephalitis in the plains of Siliguri, two persons suspected of dengue have been admitted at the Kurseong sub-divisional hospital.

Japanese Encephalitis is spreading like an epidemic across North Bengal, but when Kurseong sub-divisional medical officer R Mondal was approached for updates, she said no patients with Japanese Encephalitis have been admitted at the sub-divisional hospital.

Mondal informed two patients were admitted at Kurseong hospital on July 17 and 21 with complaints of fever. However, both of them have been discharged and they were suspected of being suffering with dengue. The hospital is awaiting reports to verify whether the fever was dengue or something else, said the official.

As per hospital sources, both patients had travelled from Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh and it is suspected they may have been infected with the illness during the journey.

Mondal further said encephalitis is being reported presently from the plain areas, where mosquitoes are found in abundance. She added the possibility of encephalitis spreading in the hills is least likely.

She also said the Kurseong hospital is equipped with adequate medical equipment for treating viral fever, but if the illness goes beyond control, such patients are referred to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri for further treatment as special tests are not available here in Kurseong.

It has been learnt that a medical team from Kurseong visited the Sittong area Sunday to visit a suspected dengue patient and also to find out if any others have been infected in the region. A nine-year-old girl from Sittong was brought to the sub-divisional hospital here for a checkup. She was released after it was determined the child was suffering from common fever.