LUCKNOW: At a time when neighbouring Bihar had been grappling with the scourge of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) which claimed over 150 lives of children and also Japanese Encephalitis Syndrome (JES), Uttar Pradesh recorded a marked decline in the number of cases and deaths due to the dual bane, this year.
Thanks to an intense anti- encephalitis campaign across the most vulnerable 38 eastern districts of the state, the rate of the infliction was brought down by 35 per cent and rate of disease-related mortality by 63 per cent. “In the next two years, we will be in a position to make the state free from the AES/JES scare,” said a senior health official.
As per the figures till August 27, this year, the number of deaths due to AES had come considerably down to 34 this year while 890 patients inflicted with the syndrome were admitted to various hospitals. Similarly, of 55 patients of JES admitted to various hospitals this year till August 27, 2019, four died of the ailment. "The cases of death due to AES and JES witnessed a sharp decline in 2019," said Devesh Chaturvedi, Principal Secretary, Medical, Health & Family Welfare department.
On the contrary, 641 of 3,911 patients were devoured by AES in 2016. “Year 2017 witnessed a sudden rise in the number of patients to 4724, while the death toll was as high as 655. But the numbers of AES victims started a downward trend since 2018 when 248 persons of 3,077 AES patients were claimed by the syndrome,” said Chaturvedi.
The eastern UP belt which is often found in the grip of AES/JES include Gorakhpur division comprising Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar, Maharajganj districts and Basti division comprising district like Basti, Siddharthnagar, Sant Kabir Nagar districts along with Devipatan division comprising Bahriach, Gona, Balrampur and Shravasti districts and Lucknow division consisting Rae Bareli, Hardoi, Sitapur, Unnao and Lakhimpur Kheri.
“The state government had integrated 12 different departments besides UNICEF, WHO and an NGO to run a drive against the syndrome which had spread like an epidemic in the state earlier,” said a health official. In its anti-encephalitis campaign, the health department is a nodal agency.
As per health department sources, 96 new encephalitis treatment centres were set up in at least 11 districts. In some districts, community health centres were upgraded and four beds were kept reserved for encephalitis patients.
AES is a serious public health problem in this part of the country affecting a large population every year. Hitting the children and young adults the most, AES often proves fatal with a high mortality rate. Both AES and JES are vector (mosquito) borne diseases caused owing to lack of cleanliness with causative agents being the virus and also other sources such as fungus, parasites, spirochetes, chemicals, toxins.
It is manifested in fever and a change in mental status (mental confusion, disorientation, delirium, or coma) and/or new onset of seizures in a person inflicted by it.
Similarly, in the case of Japanese Encephalitis, around 75 deaths were recorded of 442 patients in 2016, said the figures. In 2017, as many as 93 JE deaths were reported, while the headcount of JE patients
was 692. The year 2018 saw a decline both in the number of patients (329) as well as JE deaths (30). he said.
STEPS TAKEN TO CONTROL AES/JES
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 (As of August) |
AES | 3911 (patients)/ 641 (deaths) | 4724(patients)/ 655 (deaths) | 3077 (patients)/ 248 (deaths) | 890 (patients)/ 34(deaths) |
JES | 442 (patients)/ 74 (deaths) | 692 (patients)/ 93 (deaths) | 329 (patients)/ 30(deaths) | 55(patients)/ 04(deaths) |