Asia-Pacific Daily Report

Indian health officials have sounded an epidemic alert in India's northeastern Manipur state this week, according to the Imphal Free Press (IFP). The alert comes following three fatalities from suspected acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in several parts of Manipur. According to the IFP, per official surveillance reports, more than 100 cases of suspected AES have been found, mostly in valley districts of Manipur. Patients have been admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and some other private hospitals. The IFP says that reports further reveal that three deaths were reported from Bishnupur, Khelakhong and Mantripukhri. Blood samples have been sent to laboratories for the confirmation of Japanese encephalitis (JE), including the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), in New Delhi. IFP reports that their source says that equipment for the diagnosis of JE installed at a Manipur hospital are malfunctioning, adding to the delay in determining the exact cause of the outbreak. Health officials are taking steps to counter the outbreak, such as fogging suspected areas. The IFP says that the Manipur vector borne disease control society will start a mass vaccination program for JE for children between 0-14 years of age within a few months. JE is transmitted by mosquitoes and causes inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain. JE kills approximately 15,000 people of the estimated 50,000 cases reported annually. Among the survivors, up to 75 percent suffer from disabilities, including paralysis and mental retardation. A mild infection may occur without apparent symptoms other than a fever and headache, but a more severe infection has symptoms of high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, occasional convulsions and spastic paralysis.

Source:

· http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=53886&typeid=1

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