Bhubaneswar: The state government Tuesday constituted a five-member doctors’ team to probe into the alleged death of a nine-year-old girl, identified as Subhalaxmi Behera, due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Khurda Monday.
“A five member doctors’ team is enquiring into the reported death of a child due to encephalitis in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. The team will find out the actual cause of death,” the Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) department tweeted via its official handle @HWFOdisha. In its tweet, the department also said that 17 districts have been covered under JE immunization programme.
Health Minister Pratap Jena informed that altogether three children were been affected by Japanese Encephalitis so far this year. One of the victims died, while another has already been discharged after proper treatment and recovery. The third patient is currently under-going treatment, he added.
Giving details, Jena said that though it has been confirmed that the girl child who died was affected by JE, it needs to be ascertained whether her death occurred due to JE or some other reason.
Meanwhile, health department officials ascertained that there is no reason to panic over the issue, as the health department is well-prepared to deal with JE cases, if and when reported.
No deaths due to JE were reported in 2017 following a massive immunization drive. However, the JE outbreak in 2016 had become a cause of major concern for the state government.
The unofficial toll in Malkangiri due to JE had crossed 115, while the State government had put the figure at 96. According to the government, 32 deaths were due to JE, while the remaining deaths were attributed to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and other diseases.
PNN