A child receiving treatment at the Gorakhpur Medical College.
Gorakhpur:
When my editor asked me to cover the encephalitis outbreak in Uttar Pradesh, I agreed, out of both interest and nostalgia. After eight years of being NDTV's US Correspondent, I was looking forward to reporting (apart from anchoring Newsfirst @10) from India, once again, on the health beat which I had last covered a decade ago.
We landed in Lucknow and set off on the five-hour drive to Gorakhpur, the epicentre of the epidemic. The ride was a pleasant surprise. A lot seemed to have changed in the time I was away. Wide, clean and horn free roads- all part of the famous GT road project- had us hurtling towards our destination. We stopped for a meal at a dhaba and the food was prepared and served in a hygienic manner. And a number of the best things about small-town India had not changed. The food was exceptionally good, and the people warm and helpful.
India's progress against encephalitis also appeared largely unchanged. The endemic ward at the Gorakhpur Medical College seems just as I remembered it from news reports from eight years ago - overworked nurses and overcrowded wards filled with desperate and poorly informed parents struggling to comprehend why their children are becoming paralysed by fits. Malnourished children lying in their sweat, visibly in pain, their parents manually pumping air into their lungs with makeshift equipment.
The Encephalitis virus is transferred by mosquitoes from pigs to humans and affects the central nervous system. Stagnant water and a lack of hygiene only hastens its spread. While there is no cure for encephalitis, it is preventable with a vaccine, but again this year the vaccine has not been administered. Dr Yogesh Dube, Member of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, says it has vaccines in store. However, on the ground parents complain their children are not being administered the life-saving drugs.
In 2006, the government launched the first mass vaccination program against Japanese encephalitis after 1500 lives were lost to the virus in the monsoon of 2005. However, reports suggest that only 35 per cent children were actually immunized. For the next three years there was no mass vaccination program. In 2010, the epidemic returned with a vengeance. Just as government records show that the number of deaths due to Japanese encephalitis is declining, other strains of the virus are emerging. 219 died in 2010. 465 died in 2012. On an average 500 die a year. Already this year, 271 children have died and over 800 have been infected with the virus. Many of those who survive will be disabled for life.
India has the largest youth population in the world. This is a statistic that many draw hope from- a large potential labour force, a nation open to new ideas and the like. The events in Gorakhpur, however, show a different side to this. Japanese encephalitis mostly affects children below 15 years of age. About 25 per cent of affected children die and among survivors about 30 to 40 per cent suffer from physical and mental impairment. According to the latest census, there are 6500 disabled children in the Gorakhpur District. If we cannot protect our young, we risk creating a large disabled and dependent population.
India is often described as a rising superpower. In most other superpowers one can think of, the death of over 200 children due to an epidemic would create a national outrage, but here in eastern UP, this is an annual phenomenon. The Prime Minister and the top leadership of the Congress Party were in Muzaffarnagar on Monday, to visit victims of communal violence. Gorakhpur, on the other hand, has seen no VIP visits from the state or centre. In a country like ours, where life is cheap, and poor lives even more so, encephalitis is a reality that seems to have become far too prosaic to merit raised eyebrows.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this blog are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing on the blog do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
We landed in Lucknow and set off on the five-hour drive to Gorakhpur, the epicentre of the epidemic. The ride was a pleasant surprise. A lot seemed to have changed in the time I was away. Wide, clean and horn free roads- all part of the famous GT road project- had us hurtling towards our destination. We stopped for a meal at a dhaba and the food was prepared and served in a hygienic manner. And a number of the best things about small-town India had not changed. The food was exceptionally good, and the people warm and helpful.
India's progress against encephalitis also appeared largely unchanged. The endemic ward at the Gorakhpur Medical College seems just as I remembered it from news reports from eight years ago - overworked nurses and overcrowded wards filled with desperate and poorly informed parents struggling to comprehend why their children are becoming paralysed by fits. Malnourished children lying in their sweat, visibly in pain, their parents manually pumping air into their lungs with makeshift equipment.
The Encephalitis virus is transferred by mosquitoes from pigs to humans and affects the central nervous system. Stagnant water and a lack of hygiene only hastens its spread. While there is no cure for encephalitis, it is preventable with a vaccine, but again this year the vaccine has not been administered. Dr Yogesh Dube, Member of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, says it has vaccines in store. However, on the ground parents complain their children are not being administered the life-saving drugs.
In 2006, the government launched the first mass vaccination program against Japanese encephalitis after 1500 lives were lost to the virus in the monsoon of 2005. However, reports suggest that only 35 per cent children were actually immunized. For the next three years there was no mass vaccination program. In 2010, the epidemic returned with a vengeance. Just as government records show that the number of deaths due to Japanese encephalitis is declining, other strains of the virus are emerging. 219 died in 2010. 465 died in 2012. On an average 500 die a year. Already this year, 271 children have died and over 800 have been infected with the virus. Many of those who survive will be disabled for life.
India has the largest youth population in the world. This is a statistic that many draw hope from- a large potential labour force, a nation open to new ideas and the like. The events in Gorakhpur, however, show a different side to this. Japanese encephalitis mostly affects children below 15 years of age. About 25 per cent of affected children die and among survivors about 30 to 40 per cent suffer from physical and mental impairment. According to the latest census, there are 6500 disabled children in the Gorakhpur District. If we cannot protect our young, we risk creating a large disabled and dependent population.
India is often described as a rising superpower. In most other superpowers one can think of, the death of over 200 children due to an epidemic would create a national outrage, but here in eastern UP, this is an annual phenomenon. The Prime Minister and the top leadership of the Congress Party were in Muzaffarnagar on Monday, to visit victims of communal violence. Gorakhpur, on the other hand, has seen no VIP visits from the state or centre. In a country like ours, where life is cheap, and poor lives even more so, encephalitis is a reality that seems to have become far too prosaic to merit raised eyebrows.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this blog are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing on the blog do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
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