After the swine flu outbreak in the Steel City, five suspected cases of Japanese encephalitis in 48 hours have put the East Singhbhum district health department on toes.
According to information, the district unit of Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) was on Tuesday directed by the district civil surgeon SK Jha to take immediate steps for pre-monsoon plan to combat vector borne diseases. The IDSP on its part on Tuesday issued letters to all the 30 private and Government hospitals in city and outskirts to monitor patients with Japanese encephalitis symptoms and inform immediately for sample collection within 24 hours.
JE is a disease caused by a flavivirus. It is transmitted by mosquitoes and in human causes inflammation of the membranes around the brain. Sources at MGM Medical College and Hospital informed that patients with symptoms of high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, seizures, spastic paralysis and death are being examined.
The health department has issued an alert. The aim is to spread the word of caution to all the 30 private and Government hospitals in the district, asking them to monitor patients with symptoms and file reports 24x7.
East Singhbhum IDSP officer Sahir Pall said that all the five suspected cases samples have been sent for confirmatory test at vector lab MGM Medical College of Dimna in Mango.
Three suspected cases blood samples from Tata Main Hospital (TMH) are of five year old Amit Singh of Parsudih, 11-year-old Sonu Kumbar a resident of Chakradharpur and 60-year-old K. P Mohari (Kadma) while two samples sent from Baridih-based Mercy Hospital are of four-and- half-year old Pratima Bhumij (Parsudih) and Sardam Pati.
"We are taking every step to ensure proper monitoring. Though it is pre monsoon season but the suspected cases coming up is a matter of concern. We are afraid if the samples turn positive then the number of JE cases might shot up during monsoon season," said IDSP officer Sahir Pall.
The IDSP will also write to the urban local bodies Mango Notified Area Committee (MNAC), Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) and Jugsalai Municipality as well as civic utilities firm Jusco for carrying out fogging and immediate detection of positive cases.
"Awareness is the best medicine to prevent the spread of any form of viral infection and we urge upon the people to practice, among other things, storing water scientifically in their respective places," said an official of the malaria department.
The health department is also planning a door-to-door campaign to educate people against stagnant water in their vicinity.
From district health department records, in the year 2010, over 10,000 viral cases were reported in the district in the monsoon period while there were four deaths due to dengue. The figure rose to 15,000 in 2011, mostly from chikungunya and dengue, with one death due to dengue. In 2012, the number of viral cases came down to 7,000 during the monsoon period. There were eight deaths from cerebral malaria. There were 22 cases of dengue and two Japanese Encephalitis cases in the same year though no death was reported in either of the cases. In 2013, 18 cases of JE were reported.