On the eve of Children’s Day the encephalitis toll in eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh touched the 550-mark sending the health officials a grisly reminder that poor and malnourished children continue to die of a preventable disease because of their apathy.
“What can we sayIJ When the nation will be celebrating Children’s Day on Thursday, the Nehru Chikitsalaya ward in Gorakhpur would be counting as how many more children have died of encephalitis,” said Dr RN Singh, convener of Encephalitis Eradication Movement.
Gorakhpur is the nerve centre of this dreaded disease. Children from the nearby districts including Bihar are brought to the BRD Medical College for treatment. The hospital has so far registered 550 deaths this year from this college only. “The number would be much more. We do not have figures as how many children have died in private hospitals and in nearby hospitals. Many others must have died without treatment," Dr Singh said.
In protest against the mounting death toll, people of Gorakhpur would not celebrate Children’s Day on Thursday reminding officials that unless the lives of small children are saved there is no meaning in celebrating this day.