If people are down with Japanese Encephalitis in the plains of Siliguri, two persons suspected of dengue
have been admitted at the Kurseong sub-divisional hospital.
Japanese Encephalitis is spreading like
an epidemic across North Bengal, but when Kurseong sub-divisional
medical officer R Mondal was approached for updates, she said no
patients with Japanese Encephalitis have been admitted at the
sub-divisional hospital.
Mondal informed two patients were
admitted at Kurseong hospital on July 17 and 21 with complaints of
fever. However, both of them have been discharged and they were
suspected of being suffering with dengue. The hospital is awaiting
reports to verify whether the fever was dengue or something else, said
the official.
As per hospital sources, both patients
had travelled from Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh and it is suspected
they may have been infected with the illness during the journey.
Mondal further said encephalitis is
being reported presently from the plain areas, where mosquitoes are
found in abundance. She added the possibility of encephalitis spreading
in the hills is least likely.
She also said the Kurseong hospital is
equipped with adequate medical equipment for treating viral fever, but
if the illness goes beyond control, such patients are referred to the
North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri for further
treatment as special tests are not available here in Kurseong.
It has been learnt that a medical team
from Kurseong visited the Sittong area Sunday to visit a suspected
dengue patient and also to find out if any others have been infected in
the region. A nine-year-old girl from Sittong was brought to the
sub-divisional hospital here for a checkup. She was released after it
was determined the child was suffering from common fever.(EOIC)