Encephalitis toll 49, government issues red alert

The death toll in the Japanese encephalitis outbreak in north Bengal went up to 49 today even as the state government intensified its efforts to control the disease.
Forty-nine patients have died in the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in the last 12 days, Hospital Superintendent Dr Amarendranath Sarkar, said.
"So far, 49 patients have died of Japanese encephalitis in the last 12 days in the hospital. Another 41 patients have been admitted in the hospital and the condition of eight of them has been critical," Dr Amarendranath Sarkar, said.
North Bengal Development Minister Gautam Deb has issued a red alert against the disease in the six north Bengal districts of Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Alipurduar, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur.

To plan out a strategy, he has called a meeting of all health officers tomorrow in Jalpaiguri.
Sarkar said most of the patients came from Siliguri and nearby districts of north Bengal and were admitted with symptoms of encephalitis.
Nearly a hundred people have been suffering from the strain in various parts of Jalpaiguri district.
"These cases of encephalitis have been reported from various parts of the district. Most of the people are from the interior areas of Nagrakata, Chamurchi, Banarhat, Moinaguri and Paharpur," Chief Medical Officer of Health of Jalpaiguri Jagannath Sarkar said.