In the wake of the rising cases of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Jharkhand and the increasing death toll in neighbouring Bihar, the State Health Department has asked the Civil Surgeons of all the 24 districts in Jharkhand to immediately hospitalize any person who complains of symptoms similar to that of JE, health officials said on Friday.
Health Secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni has issued an advisory to all the health department officials and Civil Surgeons asking them not to take any possible case of JE lightly and address it as early as possible. The State health machinery swung into action after a fresh case of JE was reported in Dumka on June 19. Thirty five-year-old Ramlal Sharma was tested positive in Dumka and rushed to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, where he is undergoing treatment since Wednesday.
“The secretary had issued a similar advisory on May 27 after a few cases of Japanese Encephalitis were reported in the State. We are taking all possible precautionary measures to detect and treat the cases as early as possible,” said Dr. Vijay Nath Khanna, in-charge of State Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (SVBDCP).
Khanna added that as many as 12 cases of JE were reported in Jharkhand this year so far. As per figures with SVBDCP, a total of 327 samples were tested from across the State and 12 of them came out positive. Since rural areas are more prone to JE infections, the health department has asked Civil Surgeons to pay special attention to villages in the interiors and make necessary arrangements for treatment at the nearest hospitals.
While the death toll has shot up to 135 in Bihar, Khanna said that the Encephalitis which caused the deaths in the neighbouring state was different from the Japanese Encephalitis cases reported in Jharkhand. “The Acute Encephalitis Syndrome or Chamki fever, which is causing the deaths in Bihar, is more dangerous than JE. In Bihar, the doctors are failing to identify the cause of the encephalitis. Jharkhand is safe so far,” Khanna said.
Out of the total 12 JE cases reported in Jharkhand this, four were from Ranchi, two from Ramgarh and one each from Dhanbad, Giridih, Gumla, East Singhbhum, Dumka and Saraikela. By now, JE has claimed two lives in Jharkhand, both in State capital Ranchi.
Meanwhile, cases of other vector borne diseases such as Dengue and Chikungunya are also on the rise. A total of 75 samples were tested for Dengue this year in Jharkhand and 25 of them came out positive. At least 10 of the 25 Dengue cases were reported from Ranchi. Out of the 370 Chikungunya samples tested so far in the state, at least 10 came out positive and seven of them were from Ranchi.
Earlier this year, Jharkhand witnessed an all time high number of Swine Flu cases. At least 56 cases were reported this year, which is 14 times more than the number of cases reported in 2018.