Centre ready to provide Odisha help in checking spread of Japanese Encephalitis

The death toll due to the disease mounted to 36

With Japanese Encephalitis claiming at least 36 lives in Odisha's Malkangiri district, the Centre today said it was ready to provide the necessary help to tackle the situation even as the disease spread to new areas.

"While at least 36 persons have died due to Japanese Encephalitis in the district, 46 patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital here at present," Malkangiri District Collector K Sudarshan Chakravarthy told reporters.

As many as 33 villages, spread over six blocks in the district, have so far been affected by the disease which broke out nearly a month ago, he said, adding that at least 14 mobile health teams were engaged to tackle the situation.

The death toll due to the disease, which stood at 32, mounted to 36, following four more children perishing since yesterday, health officials said. Unofficial sources, however, put the toll at 38.

Voicing concern over the disease spreading "alarmingly", Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today met Union Health Minister JP Nadda to discuss the issue and said the Centre was ready to provide "all the necessary help" to Odisha to check the spread of Japanese Encephalitis.

"The Union Health Secretary is in touch with the state government over the issue," he said, adding that the Union Health Minister had assured of "all forms of support" and a team to Odisha, if necessary.

Meanwhile, the Malkangiri Collector has cancelled Dussehra holidays of government officials in the district in view of the situation and has asked them to keep a vigil on the situation.

Steps were being taken to construct enclosures away from the affected villages in order to isolate the infected pigs to check the disease, according to state Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak.

"It is necessary to isolate the pigs as the disease spreads from them through mosquitoes, affecting the children in particular," he said.

The enclosures are being constructed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the villagers would be engaged in guarding them and wages would be given to them, district officials said.

Meanwhile, two cases of the disease were reported from Balasore and Puri districts.

While a 14-year-old boy from Neelgiri area of Balasore district was undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, another boy was stated to be suffering from the disease in Brahmagiri area of Puri district, officials said.