As State Health Dept gropes in the dark..
Suspected Jap Encephalitis toll touches 16
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 12 2010: Though the number of people who have died from suspected cases of Japanese Ence-phalitis in the State has reached 16 and the figure of patients currently under-going treatment in various hospitals has climbed to 89, the State Govt as well as its Health Services Dept have not been able to give any definite answer on the unknown disease that has been stalking most parts of the State since the last week of June.

The inept handling and the manner in which the State Health Services was caught on the wrong foot started from June 19, when three patients, showing sy-mptoms of Japanese Encephalitis were admitted at RIMS.

Accordingly, as per norms, RIMS conveyed a message regarding the case of the three patients.

With suspected Jap Encephalitis taking a toll on human lives, fogging resorted to

A report was then forwarded to the Microbiology Department of JNIMS, and seven blood samples were taken.

In the interregnum, more patients had been admitted to the hospital. However no testing kit was found available with JNIMS and the same was also not with the State Malaria Office.

Left with no option, the State Health Services got in touch with the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in Delhi, who in turn advised that the samples be sent to the Dibrugarh Regional Medical Research Centre, Assam.

Following this, samples were sent to Dibrugarh on July 5, but there has been no reply prompting the State Health Services to depute a doctor along with some samples to the NICD, Delhi on July 9 .

July 7 and July 8 being non-working days (Second Saturday of the month and Sunday respectively), the test could not be conduc-ted.

However a report is expected by tomorrow.

According to information received from the Health Services, on the basis of the reports received from RIMS and other private hospitals as well as those furnished by District Surveillance Officers, the number of people who have succumbed to symptoms similar to Japanese Encephalitis has reached 16 till yesterday while 87 others are undergoing treatment.

The latest victim was one 80-year old woman from the Chief Minister's Constituency.

She passed away at RIMS.

An official of the State Health Services said that most victims who passed away so far have shown symptoms similar to Japanese Encephalitis, but the laboratory tests on the samples collected are yet to confirm it as Japanese Encephalitis.

The test results from NICD, New Delhi is expected tomorrow, the official added.

The districts from where the Health Services received reports on outbreak of suspected Japanese Encephalitis include Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Churachandpur, Chandel, Senapati and Ukhrul.

The number of patients suffering from suspected cases of Japanese Encephalitis that have been reported from RIMS is 49 while the number of patients who have succumbed is 7 .

Shija Hospital has reported that the number of patients undergoing treatment as 17 while two have died.

At Dr Ratan's Nursing Home, one patient has reported died while four others are undergoing treatment.

Inclusive of reports furnished by District Surveillance Officers, the total number of patients currently undergoing treatment (not include those in Dr Ratan's Nursing Home) in different hospitals is said to be 83 .

This include 45 male and 38 female.

On the other hand, despite the rising death toll and increase rate of infection, the State Government as well as its Health Services Department has not been able to give a clear picture on the unknown disease that has been stalking most part of the State since its reported outbreak in last week of June.

Though State Malaria Officer Dr Nimaichand has claimed that the rate of infection has come down, Director of Health Services Dr Yaima has questioned how it could have been.

The kits for diagnosis of the disease that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Department have reportedly send from New Delhi are yet to reach Manipur nor the test results on the sample collected and send to Dibrugarh.