This year, 318 people have been infected so far and 51 have died (File)
Guwahati:
The number of coronavirus cases in Assam continues to rise, but there is good news for beleaguered health officials in the northeastern state – there has been a 50% drop in the number of case of Japanese encephalitis (JE).
In 2019, the number of JE infections was 630, of which 154 patients died. This year, only 318 have been infected so far and 51 have died. The death rate fell from 24% to 16%.
Japanese encephalitis is a potentially fatal disease transmitted by mosquitoes which in severe cases can cause inflammation of the brain and leave the patient in a coma or paralysis.
The floods – which Assam has struggled with for several months now – are leaving behind pockets of standing water that are perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes that carry the disease.
The Assam government had also feared the spread of the disease at a time when it is already battling the Covid pandemic; the state has so far nearly 1.7 lakh of confirmed cases, including around 30,000 active cases and 638 virus-related deaths.
Last year, as the death toll rose, the state’s health department launched an adult immunization program for the three most affected districts – Goalpara and South Salmara in western Assam and Kokrajhar in the Bodoland Territorial Region.
More than nine adult lakh have been vaccinated. More than 60% of them were from Goalpara, including about 2.17 lakh from Kokrajhar.
“The percentage covered by Goalpara was the highest with 87.77% of the target population vaccinated. Kokrajhar reached 46.27% and South Salmara 29.5%. Vaccination in Kokrajhar and South Salmara has been affected by COVID- 19 and had to be stopped, “according to a statement from the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Program, which assisted the state, said.
The government of Assam is also working to collect data from people aged 15 to 65 for the next round of immunization – in five districts plus Kokrajhar and South Salmara, where the original phases have been suspended due to the threat of coronavirus.
