UP govt has been successful in 'eradicating' encephalitis: Yogi Adityanath

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that his government has been successful in ‘eradicating’ encephalitis in Uttar Pradesh and alleged that previous dispensations in the state did not do anything for the prevention of the disease.

Speaking at the launch of a campaign aimed at controlling communicable diseases here, Adityanath said encephalitis used to be a "curse" for eastern Uttar Pradesh.

"Due to this, a number of people died every year from 1977 to 2017. In eastern UP, 2,000-3,000 deaths used to take place every year because of this disease. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government took on encephalitis, and through the Swachh Bharat Mission and other campaigns, we started working with the World Health Organisation," he said.

"Those who had only given assurances for 40 years, could not do anything," he said referring to previous state governments, and added, "We have been successful in eradicating it (encephalitis) completely. Our forefathers used to say that prevention is more important than cure."

Encephalitis is a serious neurological illness that causes inflammation of the brain. Its symptoms may include headache, fever, confusion, stiff neck and vomiting. The disease most commonly affects children and young adults and can lead to mortality.

According to the National Health Portal, viruses are the main causative agents in encephalitis cases, although other sources such as bacteria, fungus, parasites, chemicals, toxins and non-infectious agents have also been blamed.

The chief minister further said, "This is an awareness programme, and if you associate yourself with this programme, then I am of the view that encephalitis, dengue, chikungunya and kala azar will be eradicated. We have also taken a pledge to eradicate filaria and tuberculosis, and we will not allow such diseases to last in Uttar Pradesh."

Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh holds the 'record' for setting up the maximum number of medical colleges in the last five years.

"We have established a medical college in Siddharthnagar and students have enrolled for the first session. In the coming year, we will set up 17-18 medical colleges in the state so that people can avail services of health experts," he said.