West Bengal Encephalitis Update: Toll crosses 200 in north Bengal

West Bengal Encephalitis Update: Toll crosses 200 in north Bengal

The encephalitis outbreak in north Bengal has claimed two more lives in the last 24 hours while the death toll for this year has crossed 200, an official said Monday. ‘There have been two deaths due to AES (acute encephalitis syndrome) in the last 24 hours. We have got four new cases of AES and 10 Japanese encephalitis (JE) positive samples from north Bengal,’ state’s director, health services, B.R. Satpathi, told IANS.

He said the total deaths this year are now 203 but dismissed reports of encephalitis spreading out to Kolkata. In July-August, as many as 90 people have died due to AES while 28 have succumbed to JE, a subset of AES caused by mosquito-borne virus. Encephalitis is a disease that results in inflammation of the brain, affecting the patient’s central nervous system. It can be caused due to bacterial or viral infections of the brain, injection of toxic substances or increased complications of an infectious disease.

While the lesser symptoms include headaches and fevers, the more severe ones cause the onset of mental issues like seizures, confusion, disorientation, tremors and hallucinations. For JE while human beings are the dead-end hosts of the virus, pigs acts as amplifying hosts that aid in spread of the disease.

What is encephalitis?

Encephalitis is the medical term used for describing inflammation, irritation and swelling of the brain due to an infection. It is a medical emergency that can be life-threatening without proper treatment.

Treatment and prevention

The goal of the treatment is to provide supportive care and help the body fight infection. Dr Das says, ‘Treatment is usually as per the symptoms (symptomatic). Reliably tested, specific drugs against viruses (antiviral agents) are few in number and are used with limited success in treatment of viral infection, with the exception of herpes simplex encephalitis, which is treated with acyclovir.’ 

‘In patients who are very sick, supportive treatment such as mechanical ventilation, is equally important. Most of these patients require care in ICU setting. Corticosteroids (e.g., methylprednisolone) are used to reduce brain swelling and inflammation. Sedatives may be needed for irritability or restlessness,’ he says. Read more about Encephalitis – types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention

With inputs from IANS