Via The Times of India: Encephalitis toll goes up to 24 in Gaya.
With one more death reported from Anugrah Narain Magadh Medical College Hospital, the number of Encephalitis deaths has gone up to 24. Altogether, 123 AES[acute encephalitis syndrome] patients were admitted to the children's ward of the ANMMCH with AES symptoms. Of these, 35 of the patients were found suffering from Japanes Encephalitis, the more deadly form of the disease.
Confirming 24 deaths due to AES this season, ANMMCH superintendent Dr SK Sinha said that 35 of the 123 AES patients admitted to the hospital this season were tested JE positive. Giving a further break up, the superintendent said that of the 23 deaths reported this season, eight suffered from Japanese Encephalitis while the other 15 died due to AES.
Now that the temperature has come down and winter has is beginning to set in, there was little likelihood of the disease spreading any further. Altogether 96 Encephalitis patients have been discharged while another four were undergoing treatment in the children's ward of the hospital. Two of the patients were discharged on Friday after satisfactory recovery.
The Encephalitis survivors have suffered mild to severe mental retardation and physical infirmities, particularly weakening of the upper and lower limbs. The facility for the rehabilitation of the AES survivors is not available in the hospital and as such the discharged patients have to fend for themselves. According to activist Brajnandan Pathak, the affected patients - being very poor(almost all of them belong to the Mahadalit social group) - cannot afford rehabilitation at centres outside the district.
As per available statistics, the maximum number of AES deaths were reported in 2011 when no less than 70 children died of Encephalitis in ANMMCH alone. In 2009 too, 46 AES deaths took place. The number of affected children in 2011 and 2009 was 321 and 151 respectively.
Health officials claim to have undertaken massive immunisation drive in the district to prevent the deadly disease. But the claims have fallen flat after the outbreak of the disease which took almost epidemic form.
