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Japanese encephalitis kills 53 in India
The death toll from an outbreak of Japanese encephalitis in northern India reached nearly 600, officials said Thursday, as another 53 people died overnight. Authorities struggled to find money for pesticides that could stop the spread of the mosquito-borne disease. Hospitals in India's largest state, Uttar Pradesh, are struggling to cope with the influx of patients suffering from the disease. Another 123 people were hospitalized in state-run institutions overnight, bringing the total number of reported infections to 2,400, hundreds of whom remain in hospitals, said Vijay Shankar Nigam of the state's health department. But he said the number of people infected since the outbreak began early August is likely higher. "We are not keeping track of patients coming to private hospitals," he said. With 53 deaths overnight, Nigam said, the overall death toll reached 594. No new deaths have been reported in neighboring Nepal, where the disease has killed 172 people since April. Some Nepali victims are being treated in India, Indian officials say. Japanese encephalitis causes high fever and vomiting, and can sometimes lead to coma and death. It is spread by mosquitos that breed in ponds and puddles left by the region's annual June-September monsoon rains. Children are most susceptible to the disease, and many of the dead in this outbreak have been under age 15. The disease can be prevented by vaccinations, but state health authorities say they don't have enough money for an immunization program. A lack of money is also hampering efforts to stop the disease from spreading. "We do not have money to purchase diesel and pay workers. The situation may improve in three to four days as we have asked for the state government's help," said O. P. Singh, the state's top health official. Diesel is mixed with insecticides that are sprayed to kill the insects. The latest outbreak first struck in Gorakhpur, a town 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the state's capital, and later spread to 24 of 70 districts in the state. Authorities expect the outbreak to ebb by the end of monsoon season later this month.
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