FORTY-FOUR people died of Japaneseencephalitis, a viral infection, at theAssam Medical College Hospital inDibrugarh on July 28. The same dayanother 68 patients suffering from theviral disease were admitted to the hospitalthat receives patients from across thestate. T R Borborah, principal of themedical college, confirmed the deaths.
Health officials in Assam said thedisease has taken epidemic form inDibrugarh, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Sibsagar,Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts andhas infected nearly 1,000 people. Thestate health department has put thedeath toll at 75, but unofficial reports say 100 people have died of Japaneseencephalitis in upper Assam. "The situationis bad, with no specific drugsavailable for treating the disease," directorof the state, health department,Dhruba Hojai, said. "We have alertedhealth officials across the state to takepreventive measures to stop Japaneseencephalitis from spreading."
The disease is transmitted from pigsthrough mosquitoes and strikesbetween April and September. It causesinflammation of the brain tissue, resultingin high fever, headache and stiffneck. On August 25, Assam HealthMinister Himanta Biswa Sharma saidthe government will import encephalitisvaccine from China.