Japanese Encephalitis (JE) so far has claimed the lives of 29 persons across Assam even as the state continues to battle it out against COVID-19 and flood.

Apart from JE, two persons have so far died of malaria in the state till July 25.

The data was revealed by the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Assam.

According to the NVBDCP data, till July 25 as many as 220 positive malaria cases and 199 Japanese Encephalitis cases have been reported in Assam.

“A total of 19 dengue cases were also reported in the state till July 25,” the data revealed.

However, this year, the situation of vector-borne diseases has improved substantially across the State.

According to the NVBDCP data, during the same period in 2019, 432 malaria cases, 44 dengue cases and 529 Japanese Encephalitis cases were reported in the State.

Meanwhile, three fatalities due to malaria and 119 fatalities due to Japanese Encephalitis were recorded during this period in 2019.

It may be mentioned here that the second phase of the Assam Community Surveillance Programme (ACSP) is also underway across the State.

The ACSP aims to carry out ground-level surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections, influenza-like illness, fever cases along with vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, Japanese Encephalitis, etc., and to do testing of all such cases by taking all necessary steps.

The ACSP-II, up to July 25, covered a total of 29,918 villages and detected 41 cases of severe acute respiratory infections along with 2,072 cases of influenza-like illness.

Assam health and family welfare department commissioner and secretary Monalisa Goswami, while reviewing the status of Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome, recently instructed all officials concerned to keep functional all laboratories with adequate Elisa reader and washer.

Goswami also observed that there is a need to strengthen the monitoring and supervision system in the state.

She further said that there is a need for rigorous awareness activities, especially in the tea garden areas.