Hyderabad, July 14: The killer viral fever has so far claimed 106 lives of children in Andhra Pradesh, even as the state government has taken up an action plan to prevent the spread of the disease besides launching a massive sanitation drive across the state. "We are taking all preventive measures to arrest any further spread of the disease and have taken up a five-day action plan which gives priority to sanitation besides keeping the medial and health department on full alert," state Health Minister Dr K Sivaprasada Rao told reporters here today.
So far, about 190 cases were reported in Telangana region and parts of coastal Andhra of which 106 children died, he said, adding though the exact cause of the disease was not yet established, the suspected viral encephalitis (SVE) could be due to mosquito bite, Rao said. The action plan, to be carried out till July 18, would involve people from village level with focus on sanitation, cleanliness of environs, anti-larva fogging, chlorinated safe drinking water besides creating general awareness, he said.
Departments of medicine and health, Panchayat raj, revenue, animal husbandry and others would work in tandem, he said and added that the state has earmarked Rs 25 lakh per district to carry out the action plan. The disease is rampant in Warangal where 74 cases were reported and 37 died and Karimnagar where 41 deaths took place of the 63 cases reported, official sources said.
Children with similar symptoms were admitted to hospitals in Nazamabad, Adilabad, Medak, Nalgonda, Mahboobnagar, Ranga Reddy, Krishna and Nellore districts accounting for the remaining death toll, the sources added. Bureau Report