Japanese Encephalitis changes outbreak pattern; Assam most vulnerable State

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Japanese Encephalitis (JE) has changed its pattern of outbreak in Assam. The fatal disease was earlier confined only to a few districts in Upper Assam. Now several districts in Lower Assam and Barak Valley are witnessing the outbreak of JE.

The development has posed a major challenge for the State Health department at a time when it is mobilizing all its resources to successfully fight the COVID-19 battle.

"Outbreak of JE was confined mostly to the Upper Assam districts in the recent years. But now the situation has changed and there have been outbreak of the disease in lower Assam and even the Barak valley districts. Change of pattern of JE outbreak has made Assam the most vulnerable State," an expert associated with implementation of multi-pronged strategy to prevent and control of JE, told The Sentinel.

As many as 174 people have been suffering from Japanese Encephalitis and AES in 27 districts across the State; of them, 38 are JE patients – Seven persons each in Jorhat and Barpeta districts, three each in Kamrup (M) and Nagaon districts; two in Udalguri district; and one each in Sonitpur, Golaghat, Goalpara districts, etc.

"If we study the data of deaths and infected persons by JE and AES in the State so far in this year, the maximum are from lower Assam districts. There are cases of AES in Barak Valley too. Change of pattern of JE outbreak has made Assam the most vulnerable State," the expert said.

Quoting the Union Health Ministry reports the expert said outbreak of JE in other States, including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are confined to a few pockets.

A senior doctor at Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College & Hospital, Barpeta said going by the pattern of outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis it is feared that the disease could now affect the entire populace of the State. "This is a new challenge for the Health department," he said.

The doctor said each fresh outbreak involves a complex chain — transfer of virus from wild water birds (hosts) to mosquitoes (vectors) to pigs (amplifying hosts, where the virus reproduces heavily) to mosquitoes to humans (who do not infect other humans).

"The disease can be prevented by controlling the mosquito population, isolating pigs and avoiding mosquito bites through use of repellents, nets, long-sleeved clothes, coils and vaporizers," the doctor said. There is no antiviral treatment of the disease. Doctors try to relieve symptoms and stabilize the patient. The doctor appealed to the people not to ignore fever.

"When a person suffers from fever he should immediately visit his nearest health centre instead of taking medicines from pharmacy," he said, adding that delay in treatment may make a case critical.

In 2013, 134 people died of JE & AES, 165 died in 2014, 135 in 2015, 92 in 2016, 87 in 2017, 94 in 2018 and nearly 150 in 2019.

"If the unreported cases of deaths due JE & AES are taken into account the toll will be much higher than the official figures. Altogether 23 persons have died so far this year. The toll might be higher this year as the entire Health department is now pre-occupied with the COVID-19 battle," a source said, adding that 20-30% infected JE & AES patients lose their lives every year.

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