Four more children affected by Japanese Encephalitis in Koraput

The viral disease, which has claimed 62 lives so far in the district, could have been brought here by birds from Malkangiri.
Health Minister Pradip Amat visiting JE-hit villages in Malkangiri on Thursday | Express
Health Minister Pradip Amat visiting JE-hit villages in Malkangiri on Thursday | Express

KORAPUT: There seems to be no respite from Japanese Encephalitis (JE) for people of Koraput district. Four more children suffering from JE,  were admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) on Thursday. All of them belong to Boipariguda.

They are Hemant Durua of Gupteswar, Prasanta Khila of Padapadar village and two school children from Balipadar Sevashram of Boipariguda - Purni Kirsani and Moti Sisa.  Additional District Medical Officer (Medical), PK Panda said blood samples of the children have tested positive for JE.

An emergency meeting was organised on Thursday by district level health and veterinary officials in which Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO), L Kabi claimed that the JE virus seemed to have been carried to Koraput by birds that migrated here from Kondagaon near Kotpad in Chitrakonda block of Malkangiri. So far, 24 children have been diagnosed with brain fever and of them, four were tested positive for JE. Of these 24 children, 19 are from Koraput, four from Malkangiri and one from Nabarangpur.

Fogging in the affected areas under Boipariguda and Kotpad blocks will begin from Friday. District administration is sensitising people on reasons behind JE outbreak.

The CDMO said there is no immediate plan of vaccination by the Health Department and asked locals to abstain from purchasing fake  JE vaccines from any private sources.
Mobile veterinary units have been deployed in six  vulnerable blocks of Jeypore, Borigumma, Kotpad, Kundra, Boipariguda and Lamtaput. However, pigs are yet to be isolated.
Two weeks back, the veterinary department had collected  28 blood samples from pigs in Kotpad,  Boipariguda,  Jeypore, Lamtaput, Boriguma and Kundra blocks and sent them to a laboratory in Bareli of Uttar Pradesh for testing. Out of the 28, blood samples of eight pigs tested positive. These samples were collected from Jaynagar, Kotpad and Boipariguda blocks.

CM to visit Malkangiri on Nov 10

Malkangiri: health Minister, Pradip Amat visited JE-affected Kursibeda and Panarguda villages in Malkangiri district on Thursday. He said the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will visit the district on November 10 and he may take a call on the compensation to the families, who lost their children to the disease. Amat said the JE situation in many tribal-dominated areas has improved to a large extent. Amat, who was accompanied by the Health Secretary Arti Ahuja and Collector K Sudarshan Chakravathy, interacted with the villagers on the various preventive measures being undertaken by the administration. JE has so far claimed 62 lives in the district and four affected persons are currently undergoing treatment in the ICU of District Headquarters Hospital (DHH). The Minister also visited the DHH and interacted with family members of children undergoing treatment.

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