The mass vaccination carried out since 2006, the establishment of pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and encephalitis treatment centers in district hospitals have greatly contributed to the fight against encephalitis in Gorakhpur Division. said Dr Rajni Kant, Director of ICMR, Gorakhpur Regional Center.
In a session on “Systematic Encephalitis Elimination” he said: “Outbreaks of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) with high mortality have been reported in Gorakhpur Division since 1978 (3,500 cases, 1,100 deaths). Japanese encephalitis (JE) was also a constant and main cause of the outbreak of AES in Gorakhpur. He said the mass vaccination was launched in 2006, a year after the region witnessed the second largest JE outbreak, where 5,737 cases and 1,344 deaths were reported.
Kant said 2,000 patients with BSE are admitted to BRD Medical College, the only tertiary care hospital in Gorakhpur Division each year. The case fatality rate varied between 20 and 30%.
The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) accounted for half of the cases of AES admitted in 2005. However, the cases of JE dropped considerably after the introduction of the JE vaccine in 2006, he said. he declares. “Strengthening surveillance, vector control, mass vaccination, vaccine deployment and establishment of 66 encephalitis treatment centers (CTE), PICUs in district hospitals and mini PICU from Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar and Maharajganj have contributed immensely in the fight against encephalitis, He said the main recommendations for the prevention and control of AES include the establishment of an ELISA test center for dengue, JE and typhus Scrub in primary health centers, community health centers and DH district hospitals.
In addition, the availability of doxycycline and azithromycin in all PHCs, CHCs and district hospitals must be guaranteed, he added. He said training clinicians as well as all health care providers to identify signs and symptoms of brush typhus infection and treatment, educate the community for reducing the factors of risk of brush typhus infection and continued Japanese encephalitis vaccination, ensuring high coverage at both vaccine doses is recommended.