like every year this time too in the month of May-June a mysterious disease, commonly known as suspected Japanese encephalitis has started taking toll on children in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar. Over two dozen kids have lost their lives in last four days and the State Chief Minister had to face angry protest on Sunday when he visited Muzaffarpur Government Hospital.
Angry parents and relatives of those children admitted in the hospital protested when Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi along with Health Minister Ramdhani Singh visited them to enquire about the conditions of children suffering from suspected encephalitis.
“We protested to express our resentment over negligence of health officials in providing proper treatment and lack of infrastructure,” said parent of a seven-year-old child admitted in the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital. Many aggrieved parents wanted to meet the Chief Minister and the Health Minister, but both refused to oblige them.
Both, however, directed the doctors and district officials to provide all possible help to the children undergoing treatment. “The Chief Minister also directed health and district officials to take all precautionary measures to control the outbreak of disease and ensure immediate treatment of the affected children,” said Rajendra Prasad Ojha, a health official.
Over tow dozen children have died in the last four days over the suspected cases of JE (Japanese Encephalitis). Every year this mysterious disease takes lives of several kids in the northern district of Muzaffarpur.last year altogether 62 children had died of encephalitis in Muzaffarpur whereas150 had died in 2012 in the district.However, the doctors have not been able diagnosed the disease properly and every year reports are being sent to laboratories in Ahmedabad to diagnose the disease.
Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha too had visited the hospital before the Bihar Chief Minister and faced ire of people demanding the Centre’s intervention to control the disease. The angry parents and relatives, though, could be pacified only when Kushwaha assured them that he would submit the report of his visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urge him to send a high-level team of health experts to Muzaffarpur.
Meanwhile, an American team of experts led by Jacob John and another one from Delhi is investigating the reason behind the deaths of children, said State Health Secretary Deepak Kumar.The doctors, however, said that the acute encephalitis syndrome is a severe case of encep-halitis characterised by inflammation of brain. Mosquitoes transmit the infection, resulting in high fever among the children.“Every year, encephalitis hits Muzaffarpur, Gaya and other neighbouring districts in May or June. But this year, it seems to have struck a little late,” said a health department official.
Early this year, the State Government had launched a special vaccination drive against encephalitis, but it appeared to have no effect on safeguarding the vulnerable children.Significantly, most of the victims are from the poorest of the poor families living in rural pockets of the State.The situation is becoming alarming in Muzaffarpur hospitals with more and more cases JE syndrome are coming in every hour, said a doctor.
“The State Government has to do something on war-footing otherwise this time too the situation would be come alarming and serious with more deaths of children,” said the doctor.