Imphal, July 13: Large number of deaths have been reported in Manipur since past few days with patients suffering from symptoms similar to Japanese Encephalitis, the State Health Department said.
Health officials said the blood samples of the patients undergoing treatment and those who died of the disease were sent to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi, but the report confirming the disease had not yet arrived.
Since the past 20 days many patients, mainly from the valley districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishenpur, have been hospitalised due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), Y Yaima Singh, Director, Health Services, said.
Abrupt onset of high fever, headache, sometimes with vomiting and diarrhoea, loss of consciousness are the symptoms, he said. "In case of appearance of the above symptoms in an individual, especially between the age group of 1 to 15 years, he must be hospitalised immediately. Chances of recovery from the illness are high in case medical treatment is sought early," he added.
There is no curative drug for the disease, except managing the case symptomatically. Though JE virus is transmitted by mosquito from the wild birds, pigs etc, there is no man to man transmission of the disease. Normally, the majority of the population has protective immunity from low dose infection of the virus, he informed.
"Individuals with weak immunity are vulnerable to the disease. The incidence of JE disease (Japanese Encephalitis) is usually very low in the population at large and, therefore, the public need not necessarily panic," he assured. Malathion fogging operation is being carried out in the vicinity of the affected cases to liquidate the virus-carrying mosquitoes in all districts. Kits to test JE and dengue have also started reaching Imphal. (UNI)
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