Aizawl, Aug 2: Mizoram has decided to ban import of domestic animals like cattle, chicken, pigs and buffaloes from Manipur’s Churachandpur district in view of the reported outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis (JE). The Japanese Encephalitis has claimed three lives in Manipur.
High alerts have been sounded in hospitals across Mizoram. However, the State is yet to detect any case of Japanese Encephalitis.
A rapid action committee has been formed to fight the outbreak and be on the alert.
According to WHO, Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) is a flavivirus related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses, and is spread by mosquitoes.
JEV is the main cause of viral encephalitis in many countries of Asia with an estimated 68000 clinical cases every year. It may result in death. It occurs mainly in rural parts of Asia. It cannot spread directly from person to person.
Encephalitis is a disease that results in inflammation of the brain. The patient’s central nervous system is affected. It can be caused due to bacterial or viral infections of the brain, injection of toxic substances or increased compli- cations of an infectious disease. In India, Japanese Encephalitis has claimed many lives in States like Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh.
