Asia-Pacific Daily Report

Indian officials say that a Japanese encephalitis outbreak in the country has left at least 130 people dead, mostly children, in northern India this year. According to CNN, V.S. Nigam, the state's nodal officer for tackling the disease, says that the outbreak is mostly concentrated in eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh state. Nigam said that 640 patients had tested positive for the infection, CNN reported. He added that the disease has mostly struck children up to 15 years old. According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), the latest deaths of eight children took place earlier this week in the city of Gorakhpur, officials at the BRD Medical College Hospital said Tuesday (Aug 18). Over 10 people suffering from suspected encephalitis were also admitted to the hospital over the same period, the PTI reported, while as many as 105 patients are currently undergoing treatment in the hospital. According to the Indian Express newspaper, more than 200 cases and 40 deaths have taken place in the last month. According to the BBC, doctors say that the high death ratio is "quite high" and "alarming." Mosquitoes transmit the virus from pigs and birds to humans. It is not transmitted by other humans and is usually a mild illness. According to the BBC, flood waters from Nepal combined with long standing water logging in Uttar Pradesh has been blamed for the extensive breeding of mosquitoes. The east of the state is a poor and backward area without adequate health facilities and encephalitis has killed a large number of people there over the last 30 years, the BBC reported. According to the BBC, deforestation and increased sugar cane farming have exacerbated the problem. One of the worst encephalitis outbreaks occurred in 2005 when hundreds were killed, according to the BBC. Symptoms of Japanese encephalitis include high fevers, vomiting and can sometimes lead to comas and death. Young children are the most vulnerable to contracting the often fatal virus because of their weaker immune systems.

Source:

· http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/18/encephalitis.india.outbreak/

· http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8206074.stm

· http://www.ptinews.com/news/234873_Japanese-Enchephalitis-claims-8-lives-in-Gora...

· http://www.indianexpress.com/news/what-about-encephalitis-up-doctor-writes-in-bl...

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