Patna: As summer approaches, cases of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), locally known as chamki bukhar, have begun to emerge. So far, 10 cases of AES have been reported this year in the state, while fatalities have been zero. Of these 10 cases, nine are from Muzaffarpur and one from Kishanganj, said Muzaffarpur DM Subrat Kumar Sen. “For the past two years, we have witnessed zero AES-related deaths, and we are committed to sustaining this progress,” said Sen, adding that awareness and quick medical aid are the mantras behind this success. Sen said, to create awareness about the disease, the administration holds ‘sandhya chaupal’ every Saturday in all the 373 panchayats of the district, in which officials hold an interactive session with local people, informing them about the symptoms and preventive measures. “They are told about ‘chamki ko teen dhamki’ (three steps to protect against the disease), which are: ‘khelao’ (feed the children and ensure they do not sleep empty stomach), ‘jagao’ (wake them if the symptoms are seen), and ‘le jao’ (take them to the hospital),” said Sen. He added that from past experience, they saw that children from poor families were affected by the AES, as they slept empty stomach. They become vulnerable to the disease, as in the morning while their parents go out for work they roam in the scorching heat. Sen said apart from awareness, they were also stressing quick medical aid to the affected children. Apart from govt ambulances, people have been told to use private vehicles to take children to the hospital, and the fare is reimbursed to them. The administration as well as the health department is also keeping a tab on the availability of doctors and medical staff. Monitoring of medical staff is done through the Darpan app, where photos of the doctors on duty and other medical staff are uploaded, and these are geo-tagged from 8pm to 10pm and between 6am to 8am. Even health minister Mangal Pandey, through a statement to the media a day before, said the department was serious towards AES and its control, and several steps have been initiated to strengthen the health infrastructure. The govt will provide a total of 1,000 AES kits to 350 health centres in those 18 districts that come under the AES-affected zones. These kits will have a digital blood pressure machine, glucometer, artificial mask bag unit or ambu bag, mucus sucker, and 13 other treatment-related products. The districts which will be provided these kits include Arwal, Aurangabad, East Champaran, West Champaran, Darbhanga, Gaya, Gopalganj, Jehanabad, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda, Nawada, Patna, Samastipur, Saran, Siwan, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, and Vaishali. Patna: As summer approaches, cases of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), locally known as chamki bukhar, have begun to emerge. So far, 10 cases of AES have been reported this year in the state, while fatalities have been zero. Of these 10 cases, nine are from Muzaffarpur and one from Kishanganj, said Muzaffarpur DM Subrat Kumar Sen. “For the past two years, we have witnessed zero AES-related deaths, and we are committed to sustaining this progress,” said Sen, adding that awareness and quick medical aid are the mantras behind this success. Sen said, to create awareness about the disease, the administration holds ‘sandhya chaupal’ every Saturday in all the 373 panchayats of the district, in which officials hold an interactive session with local people, informing them about the symptoms and preventive measures. “They are told about ‘chamki ko teen dhamki’ (three steps to protect against the disease), which are: ‘khelao’ (feed the children and ensure they do not sleep empty stomach), ‘jagao’ (wake them if the symptoms are seen), and ‘le jao’ (take them to the hospital),” said Sen. He added that from past experience, they saw that children from poor families were affected by the AES, as they slept empty stomach. They become vulnerable to the disease, as in the morning while their parents go out for work they roam in the scorching heat. Sen said apart from awareness, they were also stressing quick medical aid to the affected children. Apart from govt ambulances, people have been told to use private vehicles to take children to the hospital, and the fare is reimbursed to them. The administration as well as the health department is also keeping a tab on the availability of doctors and medical staff. Monitoring of medical staff is done through the Darpan app, where photos of the doctors on duty and other medical staff are uploaded, and these are geo-tagged from 8pm to 10pm and between 6am to 8am. Even health minister Mangal Pandey, through a statement to the media a day before, said the department was serious towards AES and its control, and several steps have been initiated to strengthen the health infrastructure. The govt will provide a total of 1,000 AES kits to 350 health centres in those 18 districts that come under the AES-affected zones. These kits will have a digital blood pressure machine, glucometer, artificial mask bag unit or ambu bag, mucus sucker, and 13 other treatment-related products. The districts which will be provided these kits include Arwal, Aurangabad, East Champaran, West Champaran, Darbhanga, Gaya, Gopalganj, Jehanabad, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda, Nawada, Patna, Samastipur, Saran, Siwan, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, and Vaishali.
