Jharkhand has witnessed two deaths caused by Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in the past one month along with an increase in the number of Dengue and Chikungunya cases, officials from the Vector Borne Disease Control Programme said on Tuesday.
Dr. V N Khanna, State head of Vector Borne Disease Control Programme said that both the deaths caused by JE were reported in Ranchi. The first death was reported on May 15 and the second on May 31, he added. “We have tested 305 samples for Japanese Encephalitis this year so far, and 11 of them were positive,” Khanna said.
Meanwhile, cases of other vector borne diseases such as Dengue and Chikungunya are also on the rise. A total of 75 samples were tested for Dengue this year in Jharkhand and 25 of them came out positive. At least 10 of the 25 Dengue cases were reported from Ranchi. Out of the 370 Chikungunya samples tested so far in the state, at least 10 came out positive and seven of them were from Ranchi, figures with the State Vector Borne Disease Control Programme said. The figures were last updated on June 14.
Sources from Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) said that two children suffering from JE were admitted in the hospital earlier this week. Dr. A K Choudhary of Pediatrics Ward at RIMS said that the JE cases reported in Jharkhand were curable and did not fall in the category of typical acute encephalitis syndrome, which caused several deaths in neighbouring Bihar.
By now, at least 100 children have died of JE in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, hardly 200 kilometer from Jharkhand border. The disease spreads through mosquito bites and is highly communicable, doctors say. In severe cases, it can cause swelling of the brain in patients and result in death.
However, the State health department is yet to issue a JE alert in Jharkhand. Chief Director of Health, Rajendra Paswan said that he will speak to the concerned officials and a final call will be taken depending on the updates on JE cases. “We have not issued any alert by now. We will hold a meeting to discuss the trend soon,” he said.
Out of the total 11 JE cases reported in Jharkhand this, four were from Ranchi, two from Ramgarh and one each from Dhanbad, Giridih, Gumla, East Singhbhum and Saraikela. Out of the 10 Chikungunya cases reported, seven are from Ranchi and one each from Khunti, Ramgarh and Hazaribag districts.
Earlier this year, Jharkhand witnessed an all time high number of Swine Flu cases. At least 56 cases were reported this year, which is 14 times more than the number of cases reported in 2018.
