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In the last 24 hours, another death due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has been reported in West Bengal while districts in North Bengal have no records of new death cases. The news was reported by PTI with confirmation from West Bengal Health Services Director Biswaranjan Satpathy.
The patient died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital, a senior officer said today. The toll in the state since January, however, remained at 206 because, the woman, who died of Japanese encephalitis on Sunday, was found from Bihar's Samastipur, he explained. Meanwhile, four new suspected case were, however, reported from three districts in the last 24 hours, Satpathy said. Among the four new suspects reported, one was from Coochbehar district while two were each from Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur, he said.
What is encephalitis?
Encephalitis is the medical term used for describing inflammation, irritation and swelling of the brain due to an infection. It is a medical emergency that can be life-threatening without proper treatment.
Diagnosis of encephalitis
Emergency symptoms form the basis of suspecting encephalitis. But to diagnose its root cause, different tests might be needed. 'Diagnosis involves a combination of clinical examination with the help of brain scans mainly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We also need electroencephalogram (EEG) along with the study of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained through a lumbar puncture,' says Dr Das.
'Some viral encephalitis like Herpes Simplex encephalitis and Japanese encephalitis do have definitive diagnostic tests. Some of them can be detected by serological testing, where the presence of antibodies against the virus is detected. The recent viral encephalitis caused by the West Nile virus can be diagnosed in some labs in India. For autoimmune encephalitis there are different blood tests and CSF tests,' he explains. Read more about Encephalitis types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention
With inputs from IANS
Image source: Getty images
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