Special Programme To Control Encephalitis

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that special programme will be launched to control encephalitis in eastern UP and Bihar. Talking to reporters in Gorakhpur on Friday he stressed the need for multi-pronged strategy to tackle the menace.

He said that a coordination committee of different union ministries would be formed for a long-term strategy on the issue. He said while the cases of Japanese Encephalitis, JE have come down from 36% in 2005 to 10% this year, the cases of water-borne encephalitis are mounting. He said safe drinking water and clean surrounding is the need of the hour to control water-borne encephalitis.

He said the centre is giving every possible assistance to the state government to completely eradicate the disease from the area. He said another round of JE vaccination would be launched soon in the disease prone areas. Mr. Azad said that the government has given 10,000 crore rupees to UP Government for upgradation of health services in the state. The central government has also sanctioned 44 nursing schools in the state to overcome the shortage of Paramedical staff.

Earlier, Mr. Azad along with Union Minister of state for Petroleum RPN Singh and Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh visited the disease inflicted rural areas of Gorakhpur and Siddharthanagar districts.