GUWAHATI: Though Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) are not that acute in Assam, yet they are dreaded enough to keep each and every district in the State on red alert.
So far, Japanese Encephalitis has claimed six lives, besides the detection of 24 positive cases this year. On the other hand, around 200 AES cases have been detected in the State this year. Such a situation has kept the department geared up to take preventive measures.
According to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, the districts prone to vector-borne diseases in Assam are Kamrup, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur and Sivasagar. Death tolls due to JE and AES were very high in these districts over the past few years.
According to National Health Profile, 2017, the highest casualties because of these vector-borne diseases were reported from Assam between 2012 and 2017. The death toll was 165 in 2014, 160 in 2015, 119 in 2017 and 66 in 2018. Official sources claim that preventive measures taken by the department against vector-borne diseases in the past had their impact on the falling casualties. Besides fogging in different areas, awareness drive is being carried out. Report from each and every district is being collected every day. Medicines for such diseases have been made available in each and every hospital.
JE is spread by culex mosquito found in rural and peri-urban areas. The mosquito injects the parasite to an intermediate host animal, especially pig.
Symptoms of JE and AES are headache, fever, muscle and joint pain, fatigue or weakness, nausea, drowsiness etc.
Age-groups prone to JE and AES are 14-15-year olds and adults.