Odisha govt puts official JE death toll at 32

Bhubaneswar: Contrary to the media reports which peg the total death toll on account of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Malkangiri above 100, the Odisha government today released its official estimates claiming the number of deaths due to the vector-borne disease at 32.

Health minister Pradeep Amat, while talking to media persons, revealed that 93 children have died in Malkangiri.

Providing detailed break-up of the estimates, he said 32 deaths are on account of JE, while 61 are due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). Moreover, a total of 17 persons are admitted in the District Headquarters hospital, out of which 11 are receiving treatment in the ward, while 6 are in ICU, the minister stated.

Also Read: JE claims 3 more lives in Malkangiri; toll touches 108

The Health minister also informed that the state government is yet to receive mosquito nets from the Centre.

In contrary to government estimates, Odisha BJP president Basant Panda today said that reported JE death toll in Malkangiri might be 108, but the actual figure is not less than 150.