Multi-disciplinary central team to reach Muzaffarpur on June 12: Dr. Harsh Vardhan

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan reviewed the status of AES/JE cases in Bihar on June 11, 2019.”I met Mangal Pandey, Health Minister of Bihar, recently and have assured him full support and assistance by the Health Ministry,” he said.

Elaborating on the support being extended to Bihar, Dr Harsh Vardhan said, “A multi-specialist high level team has been constituted by the Health Ministry and deployed to Bihar. The team will reach Bihar on June 12, 2019. Experts drawn from NCDC/NVBDCP/ ICMR/AIIMS, Patna/ Child Health Division of the Health Ministry are part of the Central team and will review the surge in cases of encephalopathy/ encephalitis and assist the State in containment/ control operations. This is in addition to a Central Team which is already stationed in Muzaffarpur. They have visited various hospitals to assess the situation and support the State government.”

The newly constituted Central Team comprises Dr Ram Singh, Jt. Director & In – Charge, NCDC Branch at Patna, Dr Saurabh Goel, Asst. Director, IDSP, NCDC Delhi, Dr  Poonam Vellamuri, Entomologist, NVBDCP, Dr Lokesh Tiwari, Associate. Prof. Paediatrics, AIIMS Patna, Dr  Arun Singh, National Advisor, RBSK, Child Health Division, MoHFW, and Dr Krishna Pandey, Scientist F, RMRC Patna, according to a PIB release.

At present, Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, Muzaffarpur, has 22 admitted cases of fever, hypoglycaemia, and unconsciousness of which 11 cases were admitted on June 11, 2019. No death has been reported due to hypoglycaemia on June 11.

Dr Harsh Vardhan also said that the Health Ministry is coordinating with the Ministry of Women and Child Development for distribution of nutritious food with glucose in the meals to prevent development of AES.