Manipur prepares to fight Japanese encephalitis

Sobhapati Samom

IMPHAL, July 19 : Manipur is preparing to combat the ‘Japanese encephalitis’ epidemic that has claimed several lives in the four valley districts since it was reported early this month.

The State Health department is also coordinating with the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry department to tackle the epidemic. Health Minister Pheiroijam Parijat Singh, replying to a call attention motion on the acute shortage of medicine to fight ‘Japanese Encephalitis’ as published in the local dailies, informed the Assembly on Thursday that necessary steps have been taken up on a “war footing” to contain the epidemic.

The Minister said systematic and supportive treatment for the infected patients is the need of the hour as there is no separate medicine for the epidemic. Prevention is one of the important option to avoid the disease.

“Fogging will be intensified besides identifying the affected areas”, Parijat said. So far eight persons have become victims of the epidemic while 75 others were given treatment at Health centres in the State.

Thrre others in Bishnupur district and Senapati district died of the epidemic. This was confirmed following the arrival of report from the testing centres outside the State.

Of the 27 samples sent for testing to Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh, 24 have tested positive for the epidemic. Similarly, 10 of the 13 samples sent for testing at National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi have also confirmed positive.