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Bhubaneswar, Jan 27: Health experts have suspected that Japanese Encephalitis (JE) might be the mysterious disease that claimed two lives and affected more than 20 persons in Jajpur district recently.
According to sources, scientists of Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) had collected 16 blood samples from the affected persons. The scientists have diagnosed five of the victims with symptoms of JE. However, the scientists are yet to ascertain whether the disease is JE, but are planning to send a second team to the affected area.
“Five blood samples have tested JE positive, but in the case of the rest 11 we could not ascertain existence of any virus. We will send our team of scientists to Jajpur soon to collect the spinal fluid from the affected persons which will be examined further. The recent findings suggested that the ailment could be Japanese Encephalitis,” said a senior scientist at RMRC.
The infected culex mosquitoes are the carriers of Japanese Encephalitis. According to experts, the culex receives the virus from pigs and infected humans. However, the humans cannot spread JE. People afflicted with the disease have complained of high fever, vomiting and headache.
According to sources, the village in which the disease occurred has a population of 920 persons from which 25 people have been affected. The disease has affected persons of all age groups ranging from 6 to 60 years.
Earlier, a mysterious disease had claimed 14 lives in Malkangiri district and affected over 50 persons. The health department is still clueless about the origin of the disease in Malkangiri as neither RMRC nor any research institution could get details of the ailment there.
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