GUWAHATI, July 27 � Encephalitis-related death toll has shot up to 144 in the State. Of the people killed in the disease, 44 have been confirmed due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE), while the death of the rest are stated to be caused by Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), said sources in the State Health Department.
The total number of people affected by the disease in the State now stands to be 614, said the sources.
Meanwhile, after cross-verification of the information, it has been found that 15 districts of the State are in fact affected by the vector-borne disease as of today. Earlier, preliminary information suggested that 20 districts were affected by the disease, said the sources.
However, it is feared now that the two districts of Bongaigaon and Dhubri may also need to be entered in the list of the affected districts. As, reports pouring in from the two districts suggest that outbreak of the disease may have taken place there too.
The districts, which have been confirmed to have been affected by the disease, as of today, are � Barpeta, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Sonitpur and Tinsukia, sources said.
It needs mention here that the State Government has set up eight laboratories to diagnose JE infection at the Assam Medical College, Jorhat Medical College, Gauhati Medical College, Lakhimpur Civil Hospital, Sivasagar Civil Hospital, Golaghat Civil Hospital, Tezpur Mission Hospital and at the Dibrugarh Lahowal-based Regional Medical Research Centre.
