Nadda reviews encephalitis situation

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda Wednesday asked all stakeholders to come together and try and prevent deaths due to encephalitis, a disease rampant in many parts of the country.

"While vaccination in Japanese Encephalitis (JE) has helped in dramatic reduction of mortality due to this disease, it was necessary to maintain high coverage and implement vector control measures in a coordinated manner for Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES)," Nadda said at a high-level, inter-ministerial meeting held to review the situation.

The meeting, chaired by Nadda, was attended by health secretaries of five states affected by JE and AES -- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Tamil Nadu, an official release said here.

Some of the other departments which participated were drinking water and sanitation, women and child development, social justice and empowerment, housing and urban poverty alleviation and animal husbandry.

Nadda pointed out that clean drinking water was a key requirement, and for this purpose and he urged states to make full use of the funding made available by the department of drinking water.

Noting that a large number of children affected by JE and AES become disabled with physical, mental and neurological disorders, it was agreed that the District Disability Rehabilitation Centres (DDRC) should be made fully functional.

The minister advised that central ministries should depute officers to visit the affected states, particularly field areas for addressing various problems which may arise in actual implementation of the schemes.

The states also made detailed presentations on the status of the activities being undertaken to prevent and clinically manage the JE and AES cases.