Hyderabad, July 11: With the death of 84 children so far due to suspected viral encephalitis in Andhra Pradesh, the state government today said a special five-day sanitation drive would be launched on Monday to check the spread of the disease. "So far, 84 children have died due to this strange fever. Even experts are not able to pinpoint the nature of the disease," Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu told reporters here today.
He said apart from cleaning up all drains, drinking water resources and taking up spraying operations on a war-footing, the drive would also focus on increasing public awareness about cleanliness and sanitation. People's representatives, officials, NGOs and self-help groups would be involved in the drive that would cover cleaning up piled-up garbage, spraying ddt and chlorinating water sources.
Plans were on to import 10 lakh doses of japanese encephalitis vaccine, he said after reviewing the situation with officials and interacting with people from affected villages through video-conference. However, the incidence has come down drastically with a solitary case being reported in the worst-affected warangal district and no fresh cases being reported from karimnagar, another seriously-affected district, the chief minister said.
Officials said about 160 children were undergoing treatment in various hospitals across the state. Bureau Report