Kolkata: At least 60 people have died due to encephalitis in the seven districts of north Bengal, as the epidemic takes alarming proportion in the state.

Describing the situation as alarming, West Bengal’s Health Services director Biswaranjan Satpathy said, “The region has been affected badly by the disease and the situation is ‘alarming’. A total of 344 people have been affected by the disease, and of the 60 dead, 24 have died due to Japanese Encephalitis, which is the biggest concern.”

The sudden jump is though mostly seasonal, the concern for the health officials is the fact that hundreds of children are affected from the mosquito-borne virus and though there is a vaccine for Japanese encephalitis, mainly children die from other forms of the disease, including acute encephalitis syndrome, the exact causes of which are not known.

“We have started a major drive all over the municipal areas as the government has already issued an alert. Door-to-door campaign is being organised to ensure people do not try self medication and do consult doctors at the very onset. We are trying to educate people that the symptoms headaches, fever may not be related to normal cold and could be a early symptom of the disease,” Dr Amarendranath Sarkar, Superintendent of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) said.

Jalpaiguri district is the worst hit and Dhupguri and Moynaguri rural areas the most affected because of the large number of piggeries from where Japanese encephalitis spread. To tackle the rush of patients at the NBMCH, two doctors have been posted round the clock at the out patients department of the fever clinic of the hospital

Health experts warn, that every year more than 70 million children die in the country due to encephalitis especially in north Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

“This has become the number one killer in the country and the union government is trying to start a major program in these areas to prevent this killer disease,” said V.K. Subburaj, secretary ministry of health and family welfare.

“To end encephalitis, immunisations drive and dedicated hospital beds for encephalitis patients in affected districts are being set up. We are also equipping the local health centre’s so that they are able to diagnose the disease earlier,” added Subburaj.