A four-year-old boy from Wadgaonsheri, who was diagnosed with Japanese Encephaliti (JE), is in the rehabilitation phase, said authorities of BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital on Thursday. As a precautionary measure, Maharashtra health authorities have now launched an eco-epidemiological survey in Wadgaonsheri.
Dr Vinayak Kale, dean of BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital, confirmed that the child was admitted to Sassoon hospital in the first week of November. He had fever, convulsions and altered sensorium, and was on ventilator support for nine days. After 18 days of treatment, he was shifted to the ward and now is in the rehabilitation phase, said Dr Aarti Kinikar, professor and head of the paediatric department at BJ Medical College.
State health authorities said an eco-epidemiological survey on Japanese Encephalitis is being carried out. Dr Pradeep Awate, Maharashtra surveillance officer, said officials have collected 22 serum samples of children from Wadgaonsheri and sent them to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for testing for JE infection. A house-to-house survey is also underway. During a field visit, a team of health officials found at least 80-100 pigs there. A team from NIV also found samples of Culex species mosquitoes from the area.
Maharashtra reported some JE cases from Pune and Solapur in 2016. Japanese It is a mosquito-borne zoonotic viral disease caused by the JE virus.