Guwahati, June 30: After Bihar where more than 175 children died due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), Assam is witnessing an outbreak of the disease. A dozen people have lost their lives due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and AES in the last 30 days. The central government on Sunday dispatched a team to review the situation in the state. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan assured all help to the Assam government.

On Sunday, a 15-year-old girl from Pathsala in Barpeta died of JE at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). A 72-year-old man from Mangaldoi also lost a battle for life at the GNRC hospital in Guwahati. Within a fortnight, six persons had died of JE in Jorhat district, News18 reported. Two days ago, a person who was undergoing treatment for JE for the last eight days died in Guwahati. Encephalitis Death Toll Climbs to 136 in Bihar's Muzaffarpur District.

On June 30 last year, 21 JE deaths were reported in Assam, while the toll had touched 119 in 2017, 160 in 2015, and 165 in 2014. A team, headed by Sanjeev Kumar, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has arrived in Assam to review the situation. The team includes senior officers from the Delhi-based National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme. Bihar Acute Encephalitis Syndrome Death Link Killed Litchi Business Worth Rs 100 Crore.

"I am closely monitoring the situation. The health ministry is coordinating with the Assam government for prevention and management of JE to ensure that the number of cases don’t rise in the state," Vardhan said in a statement. The minister added the Union ministry is providing all logistical and technical support to the state government in terms of surveillance and diagnostic kits to strengthen their effort in dealing with the menace.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, had termed the AES deaths as "unfortunate" and "a matter of shame for the nation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 30, 2019 11:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).