Japanese Encephalitis: Claims 66 lives in Assam this year, know what it is

Japanese Encephalitis, an infection of the brain has killed 66 people in the state of Assam in this year.

By: Aishwarya Iyer | | Updated: August 11, 2018 4:29 pm

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) continues to plague Assam with one more person succumbing to the disease on Wednesday. As of today, 66 individuals have died in Assam this year due to JE.

A report in a leading newspaper has quoted U Phangsu, State Nodal Officer of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme as saying on Friday, “JE claimed the life of a person in Dibrugarh on Wednesday taking the death toll to 66. We are taking no chances and have sounded an alert to all district health services to remain vigilant of any JE case that may arise and take necessary measures to provide all possible medical facilities. The medical staffs in all hospitals have been directed to attend to such patients with utmost care.”

What is JE?

Japanese encephalitis virus or JEV is the most important cause of viral encephalitis in Asia, according to the World Health Organization(WHO). It is a mosquito borne viral disease that falls in the same category as yellow fever, dengue and so on.

“JEV is the main cause of viral encephalitis in many countries of Asia with an estimated 68,000 clinical cases every year. 24 countries in the WHO South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions have endemic JEV transmission, exposing more than 3 billion people to risks of infection,” reports WHO.

Symptoms

JEV infections, in the initial stages seem like any common viral infection without apparent symptoms. However, the severe disease is characterized by:

-High fever
-Headache
-Neck stiffness
-Seizures
-Coma
-Spastic paralysis

“The case-fatality rate can be as high as 30% among those with disease symptoms. Of those who survive, 20%–30% suffer permanent intellectual, behavioural or neurological problems such as paralysis, recurrent seizures or the inability to speak,” claims WHO.

Prevention

One and the only ways to prevent the disease as of now is to avoid mosquito bites. “All travelers to Japanese encephalitis (JE) endemic areas should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites to reduce the risk for JE and other vector-borne infectious diseases,” says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Treatment

As yet, there is no cure for the disease. The treatments available as of now are focused on treating the clinical signs of the disease.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Published: August 11, 2018 4:25 pm | Updated:August 11, 2018 4:29 pm

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