On September 9, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that from 1st January to 7th September this year, no death has been recorded in the state caused by Japanese Encephalitis, Chikungunya and Malaria.
The CM wrote, “In the regions of north Uttar Pradesh, thousands of children used to die due to Encephalitis. In 2017, UP Government formed an inter-department committee to control Japanese Encephalitis.”
He added, “As a result, in the current year between 1st January and 7th September, no one has died due to Japanese Encephalitis, Chikungunya and Malaria. The disease caused havoc in the state for four decades and the state government controlled it within five years. Our next target is its eradication.”
As per the data available with the National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control, Directorate General of Health Services that comes under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, a total of 17 cases of JE were reported in Uttar Pradesh between 1st January 2023 and 31st July 2023. No death occurred due to the disease during that period.
Comparing the data from 2017, 693 cases of JE were reported in the state resulting in 93 deaths. Soon after CM Yogi Adityanath came to power, he formed a committee to control the disease. The results were visible next year itself.
In 2018, 323 cases were reported resulting in 25 deaths. In 2019, the number of cases came down to 235 but the number of deaths spiked to 32. Following that year, in 2020, 100 cases were reported resulting in 9 deaths. During Covid time, in 2021, 153 cases were reported resulting in 5 deaths and in the following year 2022, 124 cases were reported resulting in 4 deaths. In 2023, till 31st July, only 17 cases have been reported resulting in zero deaths in the state.
What is Japanese Encephalitis?
Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is a zoonotic viral disease caused by the JE virus. It is transmitted from animals, birds, and pigs, particularly the birds belonging to the family Ardeidae, for example, Cattle egrets, pond herons etc. to humans. The disease may result in febrile illness of variable severity. It affects the central nervous system causing severe complications, seizures and even death. The disease has a high fatality rate and those who survive have chances of various degrees of neurological complications.