Guwahati: At least 85 people have died of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Assam in the last two months, said a health department bulletin.
Ten deaths were reported over the last nine days, including one on Saturday.
According to the bulletin, since July this year, as many as 390 people have succumbed to the infection.
JE is a viral brain infection that spreads through mosquito bites.
The virus, found in pigs and birds, is passed to mosquitoes when they bite infected animals.
Given the surge in JE cases over the past few months, a District Rapid Response Team was formed in July to deal with the situation.
All Standard Operating Procedures and guidelines communicated by National Health Mission, Assam, are being followed in the districts for case detection, management and referral, official sources said.
Nine medical colleges and 10 district hospitals in the state, equipped with requisite facilities, have been designated as JE treatment centres, they added.