Shashank Shekhar
Patna : Union Health & FW Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on May 1, 2020, while holding a review meeting through Video Conferencing with Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey assured all support to Bihar Government in the containment and management of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) cases. Dr Vardhan took stock of the situation from the functionaries at grassroot level. Union Minister of State for H&FW Ashwini Kumar Choubey was also present during the meeting.
Dr Vardhan said, “It is painful to know that in a particular time during summer from May 15 to the month of June, there is always a hike in the rate of death of young children due to AES in Bihar.” He stated that with proper interventions at multiple levels, these deaths can be prevented through timely care.
He stated, “The fight against the AES is an old one and we know it quite well. The issue is to take preventive, pre-emptive and comprehensive measures to prevent it with a systematic approach.” He recalled his visit to Bihar in 2014 and 2019 during AES outbreaks when he had taken stock of the situation himself, met the child-patients and their parents to discuss and ascertain the root causes of the illness.
Dr Vardhan stated, “This time too, we are constantly monitoring the situation and are in regular touch with the State health authorities for managing the AES situation,” he said. He asked the State authorities to constitute a Committee of Experts to keep round-the-clock surveillance in affected areas and suggest timely preventive action. He further said that with such approach we would be able to contain the spike in AES cases in the time to come.
“The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare would provide full support and handholding to the State Government through National Health Mission (NHM) for health systems strengthening. Other Ministries of the Central government, including the Ministry of Women and Child Development, would also be requested to provide support as part of the immediate and long-term measures,” he stated, according to a PIB release.
Dr Vardhan said, “Apart from constitution of the Committee of Experts for daily monitoring the situation, there is an immediate need for constituting an inter-disciplinary high-level team of experts drawn from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), AIIMS, Patna, Child Health Division of the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to guide the policy interventions and support the State in containing the cases of AES and Japanese Encephalitis.” He exhorted all to ensure that the cases of AES are not neglected and eclipsed during the time of COVID outbreak.