GUWAHATI, May 31 - At a time when everyone is concentrating on how to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has claimed the lives of 12 people in Assam since January 1 till May 30.
According to a source at the National Health Mission, Assam, one person each in Barpeta, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dima Hasao and Nalbari districts and two persons each in Biswanath, Sonitpur and Udalguri districts died of AES so far.
During the year till May 30, altogether 81 cases of AES have been reported from 33 districts of Assam. The highest 15 cases were reported from Dibrugarh, followed by Sonitpur (9) and Dhemaji (8).
The National Centre for Biotechnology Information on its website cited that AES is characterised by acute onset of fever and clinical neurological manifestation that includes mental confusion, disorientation, delirium or coma.
Apart from AES, till May 30, altogether three cases of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) have been reported in the State with no death toll. Those cases were reported from Bongaigaon (1) and Jorhat (2) districts.
In case of dengue, altogether 17 cases have been reported from Cachar (3), Dhubri (2), Dibrugarh (3), Goalpara (2), Hailakandi (1), Kamrup (2), Lakhimpur (1), Morigaon (1) and Sonitpur (2).
In the same period, 96 positive malaria cases were found in different areas of the State. Among them, 51 were Plasmodium Falciparum cases and 45 were Plasmodium Vivax cases. The highest 29 cases were found in Kokrajhar, followed by Udalguri (21) and Chirang (9).
The ground-level workers of the State Health Department have collected more than six lakh blood samples to ascertain the disease at the community level.
Significantly, till May 30, no case of Chikungunya, Kala Azar and Filaria has been reported in Assam.
