2 children test positive of JE, one critical: HP health officials

Two children have tested positive of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Himachal Pradesh and the condition of one of them is serious, health officials said today.

However, the disease is confined to a part of Solan district, they said.

Teams of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, National Institute of Virology, Pune, and the National Vector Disease Control Programme have taken samples for further tests.

"Six children from Solan district's Dharampur area were brought to the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) here.

"Four of them have been discharged. The condition of three-year-old Harshit is critical. The other six-year-old child is progressing well, Senior Medical Superintendent at IGMC, Dr Janak Raj said.

"Following reports of the JE outbreak, a health advisory has been issued to the all districts, particularly to those in the state's lower hills, as it is a vector borne disease and spreads where there is prevalence of mosquito," State Programme Officer (Integrated Disease Surveillance Office) Sonam Negi said.

JE is a rare life-threatening disease and its symptoms may include headache, vomiting, fever and seizures that appear between five and 15 days after a person has been infected, the officials said.

There is no specific treatment for JE, the treatment is supportive, they said.

The central multi-sectoral teams will determine whether JE infection in Himachal Pradesh is indigenous or imported, the officials said.

Domestic pigs and wild birds carry the JE virus, which is mostly transmitted by mosquitoes generally found around paddy fields. Mosquitoes get infected by feeding on diseased domestic pigs and wild birds, and the virus is further transmitted to humans.

"The experts will trace the virus host and its vector the mosquito in Solan for the infection to be notified as endemic. They will also interview the local population to rule out more cases," Raj said.