Spread of JE in Poorvanchal due to lack of sanitation: UP CM Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday attributed the spread of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in the state's eastern region to the lack of sanitation and cleanliness of water bodies.

Most sources of water are polluted and sufficient steps have not been taken for their conservation, he said after distributing assisting devices to 'Divyangs' (differently abled) at a function here.

"Every year encephalitis, during the monsoons, claims hundreds of lives. The main reason for the spread of this disease is that people in the Poorvanchal region (in eastern UP) do not pay adequate attention to cleanliness," Adityanath said.

A drive must be initiated to clean all the rivers, ponds and other water bodies in cities, towns and villages under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the chief minister said.

According to the WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health, UP contributed a fifth of the disease burden (20.4% of cases and 18.7% of deaths) during 1978-1987.

The state's contribution increased between 1988 and 1997 to 24.3% cases and 20.9% deaths, and represented well over half of the total cases and deaths reported in the country between 1998 and 2009, it said.

While the proportion of encephalitis cases reported from UP in 1997 was only 14%, it started increasing dramatically from 1998 and in 2005, a major outbreak in UP contributed over 90% of all suspected JE cases (6,061) and over 89% deaths (1501) in the country, the journal said.

During the four following years, 2006 2009; 80.8%, 73.6%, 78.5% and 77.0% of cases respectively, were contributed by Uttar Pradesh, it said.