15-year-old jail inmate dies of Japanese encephalitis

LUCKNOW: A 15-year-old inmate of a juvenile jail in Uttar Pradesh died of Japanese Encephalitis in a hospital here, officials said on Monday.

According to doctors at the Chhatrapati Sahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU), the deceased, Kaliya, around 15-years-old, died late on Sunday.

"Kaliya was lodged in the jail since April 6 after he was caught steealing. He fell seriously ill a couple of months ago and was admitted to the Faizabad district hospital," deputy superintendent of the jail, S.P. Dubey said.

"He again fell ill a fortnight ago and was admitted to the hospital," Dubey said.

"However, his condition deteriorated and he was referred to Lucknow," Dubey added.

Jail authorities also confirmed the cause of his death to be Japanese Encephalitis and did not rule out the possibility of other inmates also carrying the same virus.

"We organised a medical checkup camp today (Monday) and efforts are also being made to vaccinate the inmates," Dubey added.

One of the most common vectors of Japanese Encephalitis disease is the mosquito Culex tritaeniorhynchus. The disease is most prevalent in Southeast Asia.