Japanese Encephalitis, a mosquito-borne disease, has killed at least 24 kids in Odisha's Malkangiri district, an official said Saturday.
Waking up to the situation, a team of experts visited the affected area a few days ago and collected nearly 70 samples after the children, aged between two and five years, died in five villages of the district in recent months.
The team found that the ten samples were positive for the Japanese Encephalitis virus, Joint Director of the state health department, M.M. Pradhan, told IANS.
The dead kids had symptom like swelling of eyes, noses and ears and they also had other symptoms that are characteristic of Japanese Encephalitis, a mosquito-borne virus that is responsible for death of thousands of children in India every year.
The investigation results of the rest of the samples will come soon, Pradhan said.
Pradhan said that villages had large number of pigs, the amplifying host of the virus.
No new cases of disease have been reported from the district after the affected areas were disinfected and an awareness campaign was launched.
--with inputs from IANS
|
|
Comments:
