Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A six-year-old boy from the tribal-dominated Dindori district has died of Japanese encephalitis, a health official said on Tuesday.
"Indian Council of Medical Research report has found that the child died due to Japanese encephalitis on August 6," said Jayashree Maravi, malaria officer in charge of Dindori district.
The deceased Ajay Gautam, who was a resident of Bahera village in Amarpur block of Dindori district, died at Jabalpur Medical College.
Maravi said a team from the malaria department and Amarpur's Block Medical Officer (BMO), SS Markam, found unhealthy conditions in the village and decided to spray medicine. Ajay's family members said he fell while playing with his sister last month. Subsequently, he developed swelling on his leg and a high fever.
He was initially treated at a hospital in Dindori but when his condition didn't improve, he was taken to the district official before being referred to the Jabalpur Medical College.
Ajay's father, Santosh, said his daughter Madhu had been undergoing treatment at the district hospital for fever.
Officials stated that Madhu didn't show symptoms of Japanese encephalitis infection. Japanese encephalitis is a serious viral zoonotic disease which leads to fatigue, headache, fever, and vomiting.
According to doctors, if this disease is not treated in time, it can lead to swelling in the brain, coma, and even paralysis.
As per Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), eight people have died after Japanese Encephalitis (JE) infection in Madhya Pradesh since 2019.
Medical superintendent (MS) NSCB Medical college Dr Arvind Sharma said, "Boy was brought from Dindori. He died due to JEV. It was confirmed by ICMR, Lab, Jabalpur. There is difference between Zika Virus and JEV. This is not the Zika virus case. The patient was suffering from JEV virus. It is vector-borne disease."
