Indian Encephalitis Cases Increasing

CHAN:
And cases of acute encephalitis are on a rise in the northern city of Gorakhpur. It's a fatal disease that causes inflammation of the brain. It has already claimed 90 lives this season.
STORY:
Doctors advise patients to maintain hygienic surroundings and encourage consumption of clean drinking water especially during the rainy season when the disease is common.

[Dr. Sunil Kumar Arya, Baba Raghav Das Hospital]:
"This is common in the rainy season. The number of cases increases during this season, especially during the months of August and September, rather in September the cases are really high. They are bound to increase more (in the coming months) and the numbers drop as winter approaches.”

This disease is endemic to the region and experts say that immediate measures need to be taken to contain the virus from spreading.

Most of the patients fall in the age group of six months to 12 years.

The initial symptoms of the disease are very common like recurring fever and vomiting.

[Krishna Prasad Gupta, Parent of Sick Child]:
"It started with fever, we went to a local doctor, but the medicine did not cure my child completely, the fever did come down initially but then he started vomiting, we went again to the doctor. The vomiting did not stop and his face swelled. Then when we came here, the doctors told us that it's something like brain fever.”

Experts believe that many parents as well as local doctors fail to understand the seriousness of the mild fever, which can prove to be fatal.

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