Imphal, July 15 2010: The State Health department has started taking up widespread strategy to combat the spreading Japanese Encephalitis as the authority has now confirmed three of the eight persons who died recently at different hospitals due to unknown disease to have been infected by the dreaded Japanese Encephalitis, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Ph Parijat informed the Manipur Assembly today.

Three of the eight persons who succumbed to the disease with similar symptoms have so far been confirmed as having been attacked by the disease, said the Health Minister while giving his reply to a calling attention motion in the House.

Opposition member, Dr Ng Bijoy moved the motion regarding the outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis in the state and insisted the government on stepping up measures to combat the epidemic.

While extending support to the motion, RK Anand of MPP also insisted the government on issueing red alert on the outbreak of the disease and on intensifying steps to control the disease before the situation worsens.

He observed that despite panic caused to the people by the outbreak of the disease, the State Health Department seemed to be in dark not knowing how to take up measures to control the disease of which no medicine or vaccine has so far been invented for treatment.

The department should announce programmes in advance to combat the dreaded disease, he insisted.

Ng Bijoy also insisted that government should give keen interest in controlling the spread of the disease.

In the reply to the call attention motion, Health Minister, Ph Parijat put measure taken up by his department and said kits for testing the disease which was procured from outside the state will be arriving in the next few days.

The kits manufacture in Britain has arrived at Kolkata and will soon reach Imphal.

Once, the kits arrived, the problems in confirming the disease will be solved and inconveniences facing in the treatment due to late in confirmation will also be solved, he added.

Health department has initiated for setting up a coordination committee of health and veterinary department as state started intensifying the mass elimination of mosquitoes programme across the four valley districts, the minister said.

As many as five persons suffering from similar symptoms are currently under observation as even as around 75 persons admitted at various hospitals with similar symptoms of the disease, the minister said giving reply to a call attention motion moved by opposition members of the House.

In the meantime, the minister further said that test of 13 more blood samples of patients sent for testing the disease at National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD), New Delhi.

Nineteen blood samples were provided to the centre for testing for the disease in the last week of June last.

The three patients confirmed to be victims of the disease were from Imphal east and Thoubal district, the minister said.

The victims of the dreaded mosquito borne arboviral disease were confirmed as per the results provided by the Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh to the state health services.

A notification regarding the matter was issued, he added.

As the medicine for treatment of the dreaded disease is not invaded and the only method of treatment is administering medicines according to the symptoms developed to the particular patient.

So, government is taking up control measures for mass elimination of mosquitoes, he said.

Revealing that the best way to fight against the disease is prevention, the minister said that fogging and spreading of anti-mosquito chemical have intensified.

Medicated mosquito nets have also been distributed to around one lakh families.

State health department is planning to introduce mass vaccination programme starting from November and December of this year.

Manipur has been included among the states of the country which Centre asked for taking up mass vaccination programme.

Keeping in mind, the best way to protect from biting by the mosquitoes bearing the virus, preventive measure like distributing medicated mosquito nets, elimination of dwelling places of the mosquitoes and awareness programmes have also started taken up.

As the disease is so far the disease is confined in four valley districts, special emphasis is being given to the valley areas and Chandel district.

So far there were no reports of spreading in the hill districts, he added.

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