Suspected encephalitis has claimed 38 lives in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district so far this year.
Suspected encephalitis has claimed 38 lives in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district so far this year, and more than 120 children are admitted in various hospitals after being diagnosed with the ailment.
The disease has acquired the proportions of an epidemic, and has become an annual affair, with poor children being the most vulnerable among the target groups. No treatment is available so far - a scary prospect by all standards.
At Muzaffarpur's Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, 8-month- old Ananya presents a heart breaking sight. Doctors suspect she is suffering from encephailitis, and she is battling for her life. Cases have been reported at Muzaffarpur's Kejriwal Nursing Home too.
Her parents brought her to the hospital on Tuesday morning, after she complained of high fever and shivering. Doctors attending to the patients in the hospital's intensive care still don't know why this disease has been striking Muzaffarpur and adjoining areas for over two decades now.
So far this year, there have been 38 deaths because of suspected encephalitis. In 2013, there were 62 casualties reported from Muzaffarpur and adjoining districts.
Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, too, has been in the grip of encephalitis. Inspite of the best efforts of the government of India and international research organisations, no cause or cure for the disease has been found yet.
Dr Gyan Bhushan, Civil Surgeon of Muzaffarpur, says, "I have been in the field for three years. It seems that heat, and, particularly, humidity have a large role to play. When humidity levels go up, these children seem to develop severe glucose deficiency.''
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, after chairing a meeting on encephalitis in the capital today, announced a series of measures to tackle the dreaded disease, including a five-year action plan similar to the pulse polio eradication campaign, a dedicated ward for encephalitis in Muzaffarpur and dedicated surveillance systems to track its outbreak.
"I have instructed officials of Bihar and UP to take it up like an emergency. Giving 100 per cent immunisation coverage to a few districts in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh is also a must,'' he told reporters later.