Japanese Encephalitis toll climbs to 58 in Odisha

With the death another child, the toll in Japanese Encephalitis outbreak today mounted to 58 in around six weeks in Odisha's tribal-dominated Malkangiri district.
A three-year-old boy from Kalimela block died while undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital here, taking the toll to 58, Chief District Medical Officer Dr U S Mishra said.
Unconfirmed reports, however, put the toll due to the vector-borne disease at 61, which has affected around 100 villages spread over six blocks in the district.
At present, seven affected children are undergoing treatment at the district headquarter hospital and one of them is in the ICU, a senior district official said.

The disease, which originates from pigs and spreads to humans through mosquitoes, had surfaced in the district around 41 days ago.
A large number of pigs have been isolated and shifted to over 140 specially prepared enclosures set up away from human habitations, while fogging and spraying of mosquito repellents have been intensified in more than 100 villages, the official said.