At least 67 people in West Bengal and 43 in Assam have died of encephalitis in eastern India in a situation that health officials described as “alarming” on Tuesday.

The 67 deaths occurred over the past fortnight in West Bengal State, according to State’s health services director Biswaranjan Satpathy.

Hundreds of people, mostly children, die each year from the mosquito-borne virus, but Bengal is not usually among the worst-affected States.

“Of the total 341 cases in the region, 67 deaths have been recorded so far,” Mr. Satpathy said adding eight of the victims were children below age 15.

“We are setting up clinics and carrying out fogging operations to keep mosquitoes from breeding. A number of other measures are planned to stop the disease from spreading to other areas,” he said.

Health officials said they were alarmed by the rise in encephalitis cases over the past few weeks.

Twenty-four of the deaths were due to Japanese encephalitis, but other forms of the virus could not be identified as medical facilities were lacking, State-run broadcaster Doordarshan reported.

Encephalitis is a brain inflammation, mostly caused by a viral infection and often transmitted through mosquito bites.

Its symptoms include vomiting and high fever, and it can lead to death or long-term disabilities like paralysis and mental problems.

Claims 43 lives in Assam

As encephalitis claimed 43 lives and affected 311 people so far in nine districts of Assam this year, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi directied the health department officials to effectively tackle the spread of the disease.

Lower Assam districts of Barpeta, Kamrup (Rural), Darrang and Nalbari districts have been worst affected by the disease.

Barpeta reported eight deaths and 54 positive cases while Kamrup (Rural) reported four deaths and 34 cases of Japanese Encephalitis during the last week, according to health department data.

Darrang, Sivasagar and Nalbari have reported six deaths each with 20 confirmed positive cases in Nalbari alone while two deaths were reported from the Kokrajhar district.

Kamrup (Metro) district has recorded 31 positive cases but no deaths so far.

Vaccination drives were carried out in the districts of Tinsukia, North Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Dhemaji and Golaghat in Upper Assam early this year.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had directed state Chief Secretary Jitesh Khosla to ensure that health department gears up the vaccination drive and ensure regular flow of medicine to hospitals and health centres.

Mr. Gogoi also directed Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Sanjeeva Kumar to take all possible preventive measures to check the spread of Japanese Encephalitis.

Mr. Kumar had apprised the Chief Minister that the situation was not alarming and incidences of Japanese Encephalitis was less than last year.

The Principal Secretary told Mr. Gogoi that truckloads of medicine were being sent to different parts of the state daily and wherever there was shortage, it would be replenished in the next few days.

Meghalaya sounds alert

Meghalaya on Tuesday sounded an alert in four districts bordering Assam after outbreak of Encephalitis in the neighbouring State, health officials said here.

Even as there was no confirmed case till date, at least six suspected cases of encephalitis have been detected in Ri-Bhoi district, they said.

The four Meghalaya districts where alert was sounded by the state health ministry are Ri-Bhoi, parts of West Khasi Hills, North Garo Hills and West Garo Hills.

“Health services officials in districts close to Assam have been asked to be cautious in case patients show any symptom similar to encephalitis,” State National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme Officer Dr. B Mawlong told PTI.

She said six suspected cases had been detected yesterday in Ri-Bhoi district and the government was waiting for test kits from Pune-based laboratory.