Japanese Encephalitis Affects 82, Claims 8 Lives In Assam: Govt Issues Guidelines

Japanese Encephalitis is spreading in flood-hit Assam with over 80 people infected with the disease. It has also claimed 8 lives in only 9 days.

As people in Assam continue to tackle floods and their consequences, the state is reporting the presence of several diseases. In nine days, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) has claimed 8 lives and infected 82 people in Assam reports the National Health Mission (NHM). Following the increasing number of deaths in the state, the Health Department has requested permission to establish District Rapid Response Teams (DRRT) to keep a careful eye on the situation.

A standard operating procedure and guidelines have also been released by the NHM to address the situation that has arisen after the JE outbreak.

Action Taken To Control JE/ Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) In Assam

Cases of Japanese Encephalitis, which is spread by infected mosquitoes, experience an annual spike in cases at this time.

• All medical schools and hospitals have been informed of this in order to set aside specific ICU beds for AES/JE cases.
• To help vaccination teams control JE/Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) cases, zonal medical colleges' departments of community medicine have been urged to provide assistance.
• Creating separate wards with designated ICU beds and oxygen beds in all district hospitals is one of them, as is making it mandatory for specialised doctors to collect procedure samples while taking the necessary aseptic precautions.
• The referring hospital must arrange for the transportation of suspected as well as confirmed AES/JE patients in an ambulance equipped with a life support system. Cases need to be located and confirmed using the proper medical procedure, as per the statement released by the government.
• All districts have been urged to establish comparable helplines, while a state control room with the toll-free number 104 has been established.
• District Rapid Response Teams must analyse each AES case, find management problems, and provide weekly findings to the state headquarters. The teams must be alerted.
• Additionally, all districts will host special district task force meetings, and the minutes from these sessions will be sent to NHM's state headquarters in Guwahati.

Every year, JE and malaria claim many lives in Assam, especially during the monsoon season, which typically lasts from May to October. Reports suggest that 40 people died due to the disease last year.

(With inputs from agencies)