Japanese Encephalitis: Death Toll Reaches 23 In Flood-Hit Assam. Check Symptoms & Other Details

Japanese Encephalitis: In most cases, people infected with JE (Japanese Encephalitis) do not show any symptoms.

An elderly Indian patient is shifted to a ward while being treated for Japanese encephalitis (Source: File photo/AFP)

New Delhi: Four more persons lost their lives due to Japanese Encephalitis in Assam, taking the toll to 23 in the state, an official release said on Friday as reported by news agency PTI. Two death each was reported in Nalbari and Morigaon region. Four new cases were reported from the Nagaon region, three each from Nalbari and Udalguri, two from Sivasagar and one each from Barpeta, Kamrup Metro, Karbi Anglong and Hojai, authorities said. The state had recorded three passings and 23 new JE cases on Thursday.

Four more persons die of Japanese Encephalitis in Assam, taking the death toll to 23 in July: Officials

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 15, 2022

What Is Japanese Encephalitis?

Japanese fever or Japanese encephalitis (JE) is spread by mosquito bites. These mosquitoes are infected with flavivirus. In this disease, the membranes around the brain are affected. Japanese encephalitis virus is a major cause of acute encephalitis syndrome and is not a contagious fever. It does not spread from person to person. Symptoms appear after 5 to 15 days in a person suffering from fever.

Japanese Encephalitis: Here Are The Top Developments

- In most cases, people infected with JE (Japanese Encephalitis) do not show any symptoms. Even if patients do have symptoms, they are very mild. There may be a problem of swelling in the brain of the infected. Due to this, symptoms like severe headache, fever, shivering can be seen. Along with this, there is also a stiffness in the neck. Sometimes there is also a possibility of the infected person going into a coma.

- Avinash Joshi, Principal Secretary, Health Department, Assam and Dr MS Lakshmi Priya, Director, NHM, held a meeting with district officials through video conferencing on Saturday. He asked the officials to constitute DRRT by July 16 to deal with the situation.

- According to the Union Health Ministry, 435 AES cases were reported in Assam till September 2021, out of which 80 patients had died. At the same time, 212 cases of JE were reported, out of which 39 patients died. As of September last year, Assam's share of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) and JE deaths in the country was 60.15 per cent and 76.47 per cent, respectively.

- According to reports, between 2014 and 2020, more than 2 thousand 400 people lost their lives due to AES and JE infection in Assam. As per reports, Assam recorded 525 deaths due to JE and AES in 2014, 395 in 2015, 279 in 2016, 265 in 2017, 277 in 2018, 514 in 2019 and 147 in 2020.

-Japanese encephalitis and malaria kill many people in Assam every year. This outbreak spreads especially during the monsoon season and floods. Generally this cycle starts in May and continues till October.

- Floods in Assam continue to improve as no new deaths were reported in the state till Thursday, while the number of affected people came down to 2,28,545. According to the latest data from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the number of affected districts is Cachar, It has come down to six including Chirang, Dima-Hasao, Golaghat, Morigaon and Tamulpur. Out of the total 2.28 lakh people, 1,34,487 are from Cachar district while Morigaon with 92,853.