A three-member team of doctors from Ranchi reached East Singhbhum district on Sunday to extensively inspect the steel city and adjoining rural areas for Japanese Encephalitis cases.

Led by Dr SN Jha, state programme officer for Vector Borne Diseases, the team inspected Parsudih area of the city suburbs, Galudih, Musabani and Potka blocks in Ghatsila sub-division of the district.

“We are here to carry out control measures for the Japanese Encephalitis which is spreading in the district. The vector-borne disease has already claimed a life in the Ghatsila sub-division recently and has affected seven persons across the district, including in the Jamshedpur block,” said Jha while talking to The Telegraph Online.

He also mentioned about a 38-year-old woman, dying because of Japanese Encephalitis at Kalchitti village in Galudih on Thursday.

“Apart from the death caused by the Japanese Encephalitis, seven persons have been affected by the disease. Cases have been reported from the Jamshedpur block, two from the Potka block and one each from the Ghatsila and Musabani block,” revealed the state program officer.

Talking about control measures taken to contain Japanese Encephalitis, Jha said, “The team had to do vital health activities in the pockets from wherever the cases were reported.”

“We had to conduct a mass fever survey with the support of local health department officials followed by testing of the suspected victims with diagnostic kits. Apart from this we had to ensure that insecticides were sprayed in and around the affected areas,” the state program officer said.

He pointed out that a coordinated effort by all those concerned in the health department has been taken and necessary instructions from the level of Sahia (village-level lady health workers) to district civil surgeon has been passed on. They have been asked to remain vigilant for the detection of the Japanese Encephalitis cases.

This disease affects mostly youngsters and is caused by mosquito bite. An affected person from this fatal disease suffers from high fever, headache and stiff neck. In the severe condition, the patient gets unconscious after the neck-stiffens.