11 October,2011 07:12 AM IST | | Astha Saxena
Five people have tested positive this season, including a case from Inderpuri reported on Monday
The deadly Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is hitting the city again with vengeance. Another case was reported on Monday, taking the number of cases to five this season. Ram Swarth, a 30-year-old from southwest Delhi's Inderpuri was diagnosed with the illness. JE is a viral disease that infects animals and humans. It is transmitted by mosquitoes and causes inflammation of the membranes around the brain in humans.
Representative pic
Swarth, who was admitted in Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital, was discharged on the 8th of October. Cases of Japanese Encephalitis, caused by a mosquito-borne virus, were first reported in the city on September 21. Out of the four victims, one was a resident of Gole Market in central Delhi while the other three were from northwest Delhi areas of Bawana, Pooth Khurd and Jahangirpuri.
Danger zone
Investigations conducted by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) had revealed that patients had not got infected from outside the area. Dr VK Monga, chairman, health committee, MCD said: "Ram Swarth is the fifth case of death due to Japanese Encephalitis here. He was admitted on October 1 at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital and discharged on October 8. Four cases were reported last month. The situation is not alarming but people should take all precautionary measures to keep mosquitoes at bay."
Know how
JE is endemic to rural and agricultural areas and is highly prevalent in UP and Haryana. Pigs are carriers of the virus. Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquito is responsible for the spread of this disease. Pigs get it from migratory birds and the virus gets amplified 400 times when it enters them.
Then there's dengue
Ten more persons tested positive for dengue in the city in the last 24 hours, taking the number of cases this year to 331. The figure for the corresponding period last year stood at 3,000.
