Encephalitis Outbreak Kills 400 in India
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October 12, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
Northern India has been hit by an outbreak of encephalitis, leaving more than 400 people dead many more seriously ill.
More than 400 people, mostly children, have died through an encephalitis outbreak throughout northern India, say health officials. Doctors have described the incident as a “tragedy beyond imagination”.
The outbreak, which has plagued the Gorakhpur area of Uttar Pradesh state, has attracted attention from national and international medical boards. Hospitals are overwhelmed with patients say experts, with a total of 2,300 encephalitis cases having to be treated.
The disease often occurs during monsoon seasons, with poor sanitation often leading to water contamination.
Encephalitis can also be mosquito-borne and causes inflammation of brain tissue.
“It is unbelievable tragedy,” said Dr KP Kushwaha, head of paediatrics at the BRD Medical College. “There are five to 10 children dying every day.”
Nearly 6,000 children have died of encephalitis in the hospital since the first case was detected in 1978. In 2005 alone, a case of Japanese’s encephalitis killed over 1,000 people, mostly children, throughout the Gorakhpur region
Doctors say the majority of patients come from the poorer regions of Gorakhpur, with the most vulnerable being children of between 6 months to 15 years old.
“Children are most affected because they have lower immunity and they end up consuming a lot of contaminated water at home,” added Dr Kushwaha.
Medics are trying to keep the disease under control; however, many believe more needs to be done to protect people from the reoccurring viral disease.
“The public health care system is in a shambles,” said Kumar Harsh, a local journalist. “And this tragedy repeats itself every year.”
By Catherine Rees
[Image courtesy of Creativity 103]
