About 100 children in Odisha's tribal district of Malkangiri have died of viral encephalitis in the past two months. Is the state emerging as another hotbed of acute encephalitis syndrome?
ODISHA IS emerging as another hotbed of viral encephalitis, a disease that causes sudden deaths in children or leaves them in a state of delirium forever. Data with the Directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (nvbdcp), Delhi, shows that 748 children in Odisha suffered from acute encephalitis syndrome (aes) between September and October this year; 70 of them succumbed to it. At least 121 children contracted a severe form of aes, known as Japanese Encephalitis (JE).
The situation is particularly grave in the tribal district of Malkangiri, where the disease had claimed the lives of 100-odd children till the magazine went to press on November 7.
Such high number of aes cases just in two months has left health experts in the state perplexed. “Unlike several other states, aes is not endemic to Odisha,” says Santanu Kumar Kar, former director of the Regional Medical Research Centre (rmrc), Bhubaneswar. “But the disease is fast gaining a foothold in the state,” he adds.
AES was first reported from Rourkela in Sundargarh district in 1989. Between 1992 and 1995, researchers have documented sporadic cases of JE among hospitalised children in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur and Malkangiri. There was no record of aes in the state in between these years, says Kar. But since 2012, Malkangiri has been consistently reporting aes outbreaks. According to the state’s Department of Health and Family Welfare, 38 children died of the disease in 2012, five in 2013 and 11 in 2014. Although there were no reports of deaths in 2015, the situation is alarming this year. “We are taking all steps to contain the deaths, but patients are dying within hours of reaching hospital,” says Kailash Chandra Dash, director of Health Services.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 16, 2016-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 16, 2016-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara