Gogoi for steping up measures to tackle encephalitis

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today directed the health authorities to step up preventive measures to check the spread of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) that have claimed 336 lives so far this year.
Gogoi also instructed the health authorities to spray bleaching powder, conduct fogging at the piggeries and hold awareness campaigns across the state, said the Chief Minister Office (CMO).
Taking stock of the quantity of medicines available in the hospitals and health centres, Gogoi instructed the health authorities to procure medicines to ensure there were no shortages.
Gogoi further directed the department to go on a massive vaccination drive to contain the disease affecting some districts of lower and upper Assam, the CMO said.

The health officials informed Gogoi that vaccination drives would be carried out from November next and a proposal on it would be submitted shortly.
Gogoi also wanted the health officials to issue daily bulletins on the preventive measures taken up by the health department to contain the disease, the daily stock of medicine in all hospitals and health centres and other vital statistics for the information of people, print and electronic media.

Meanwhile, the Director of Health Services (Family Welfare) has taken up the issue of Adult Japanese Encephalitis vaccination in the remaining districts of the state covering a population of 117.34 lakh.

Adult vaccination was carried out in nine districts of Kamrup (Rural), Kamrup (Metro), Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Tinsukia and Sivasagar in February this year, the Office informed.
Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare Department Sanjeeva Kumar met union Health and Family Welfare Department Secretary Lov Verma and apprised him about the situation.