Eastern Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur city has seen drastic fall in cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) this year as compared to previous years, authorities have claimed.
"In 2017 we handled numerous cases of AES and JEV and soon after that we launched 'Dastakh' initiative in many districts in 2018 where we used to make locals aware about what medicines they should give to their children if they are suffering from AES or JEV, intake of clean drinking water, maintain cleanliness in and around their vicinity, and this awareness drive resulted in fewer causalities," District Magistrate Anuj Singh told .
Moreover, Principal of BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, said the number of deaths has also declined over the years.
"In 2017, over 2248 patients were admitted here and 512 had died out of them. 1047 patients were admitted in 2018 and out of those, we couldn't save 166. This year so far, 87 patients have been admitted out of which we couldn't save 19," he stated.
"This year we have witnessed 60-70 per cent drop in death rates and 50 per cent less morbidity rate in patients suffering from AES and JEV, in Gorakhpur. At least 18 Encephalitis Training Centres have been build in different primary clinics across the city," added Dr Srikant Tiwari.
World Health Orgsation (WHO) and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) have been supporting the state government and district authorities in taking several initiatives to control the ever-growing cases of AES and JEV.
While the number of cases has declined in Gorakhpur, as many as 132 children have lost their lives in Bihar's Muzzafarpur due to the outbreak of AES.
( With inputs from ANI )