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G PLUS AUG 09 - AUG 15, 2014 7<br />
In The News<br />
THE VICIOUS CYCLE<br />
Why Assam is on the verge of a vicious Japanese Encephalitis death cycle.<br />
Syeda Ambia Zahan<br />
For the Assam Health department,<br />
if a person is above seventy,<br />
the government does not<br />
have to take care of his health as he<br />
is approaching the end of his life. In<br />
a state where an eighty year old man<br />
is the head as the CM, in his full capacity<br />
and strength, such notions of<br />
some officers heading the various<br />
health programs in the state simply<br />
sound ridiculous.<br />
“Actually most of the JE deaths<br />
have occurred among the people<br />
aged above 65. This is because these<br />
people were not vaccinated.” One<br />
highly placed official of the NRHM<br />
said to this correspondent when being<br />
asked about the scenario regarding<br />
the Japanese Encephalitis deaths.<br />
When asked about why were those<br />
senior people not vaccinated, he said<br />
“Actually, there are some national<br />
guidelines. Those people above the<br />
age of 65 are to be vaccinated under<br />
medical supervision. Now who will<br />
take so much care for these aged<br />
people who are anyway going to die<br />
soon.”<br />
The Monsoon in Assam seldom<br />
brings happiness. Floods, Malaria,<br />
and Japanese Encephalitis are the<br />
factors why we cannot have cheerful<br />
days. In 1978, the first case of JE was<br />
identified in Lakhimpur district and<br />
since then, for the last 35 years, it has<br />
become a household name.<br />
The pilot project of child vaccination<br />
of JE started in 1987-88 and<br />
then it stopped. Again the project,<br />
this time adult vaccination, started<br />
in 2011. The pilot project covered<br />
nine districts of upper Assam. But<br />
for some unknown reasons, the<br />
health authorities felt that there was<br />
no need to vaccinate the people from<br />
the lower part of Assam. As a result<br />
of which no vaccination drive was<br />
carried out in later years and now everyone<br />
can see the results. This time<br />
the outbreak that occurred in the first<br />
week of June and the maximum fatalities<br />
are from lower Assam districts<br />
of Barpeta and Nalbari.<br />
To utter surprise, the districts<br />
covered under the pilot project in<br />
2011, also have been seeing JE deaths.<br />
“The vaccine that is being supplied<br />
is not enough to cover the entire<br />
population. The pilot project covered<br />
70% of it. We need to import the vaccine<br />
from China and the number of<br />
vaccines that is to be procured have<br />
to be submitted much earlier. This<br />
was what happened last time.” Says<br />
Biren Boruah, Director, Vector borne<br />
disease cell.<br />
It seems that the state government<br />
did not take the vaccination<br />
drive seriously. And the shocking<br />
part is two deaths of JE were reported<br />
from upper Assam districts of people<br />
who were recorded as being vaccinated.<br />
In the last three years, the central<br />
government has granted a sum of<br />
`41.50 crore to deal with JE and acute<br />
encephalitis syndrome diseases. Still<br />
the district hospitals lack special care<br />
units, medicines and laboratories.<br />
“We are not setting up laboratories<br />
where cases are rare. At present we<br />
have 13 labs to take care of all the 27<br />
districts.” Says Boruah.<br />
Out of the 41.50 crore, the state<br />
“<br />
The vaccine that is being<br />
supplied is not enough<br />
to cover the entire<br />
population. The pilot<br />
project covered 70% of<br />
it. We need to import the<br />
vaccine from China and<br />
the number of vaccines<br />
that is to be procured<br />
have to be submitted<br />
much earlier. This was<br />
what happened last time”<br />
Biren Boruah, Director,<br />
Vector borne disease cell<br />
government has been able to spent<br />
only 1.68 crore.<br />
“The Chief Minister has recently<br />
ordered us to set up laboratories and<br />
special care units in all the districts<br />
of Assam and we can make the expenditures<br />
now,” said a higher official.<br />
Call it the short sightedness of<br />
the health authorities or the two year<br />
long dissidence of Assam Congress<br />
which gave the health minister less<br />
time to concentrate on the real issues,<br />
the state suffered despite the Centre’s<br />
interest. Most of the highly affected<br />
districts do not have a laboratory to<br />
keep a check of JE.<br />
Next September, another drive of<br />
adult vaccination will be carried out<br />
in the 14 districts of Assam. But if the<br />
department does not learn from its<br />
mistakes soon, then the next monsoon<br />
will only be followed by another<br />
spell of death. It’s time for the real<br />
things to pick up pace. The promises<br />
and funds will do anyway.<br />
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