Japanese Encephalitis claims four lives in Meghalaya

At least four persons have died of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Meghalaya in the past one month, prompting the state government to monitor the situation closely, officials said today.
Three persons including a BSF jawan died after being infected by JE in the remote South West Garo Hills district last week and officials at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Institute of Health and Medical Science (NEIGRIHMS) said one person succumbed to the disease and two others were under treatment at the hospital.
"We are monitoring the spread of JE closely after deaths were reported in the state. The Chief Minister himself is reviewing and monitoring the situation," state health minister A L Hek said adding, test kits were made available to ensure fast treatment.

NEIGRIHMS medical superintendent Dr A Phukan said two persons whose blood samples tested positive for JE were currently under treatment at the hospital, one of them was from Mawhati village in Ri-Bhoi district and the other was from Arunachal Pradesh.
Since July 7, at least 15 suspected cases were kept under observation at the Institute, but only four were tested positive for JE, Dr Phukan said.
As of today, six persons tested positive for JE and were undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the state, health services director Dr A Wankhar said.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma during his review meeting today directed the administration and health department to control the spread of JE and senior health officials were asked to monitor the Garo Hills region where three persons have died due to the disease.