The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, J P Nadda chaired a high-level inter-ministerial meeting of secretaries/senior officials from participating Ministries/Departments of the Government of India, as also health secretaries of five states affected by JE/AES, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Tamil Nadu, here today. The participating Ministries/Departments were Drinking Water and Sanitation; Women and Child Development; Social Justice and Empowerment; Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation; School Education and Literacy; and Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries. The Minister emphasised that the stakeholders do everything in their means to prevent deaths due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). While vaccination in JE has helped in dramatic reduction of mortality due to this disease, it was necessary to maintain high coverage and implement vector control measures in a coordinated manner for AES.
The Ministers pointed out that clean drinking water is a key requirement and for this purpose he urged that the States to make full use of the funding made available by the Department of Drinking Water & Supply. Noting that a large number of children affected by JE and AES becomes disabled with physical, mental and neurological disorder, it was agreed that the District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRC) should be made fully functional. The Minister advised that the Central Ministries should depute officers to visit the affected States particularly field areas for addressing various problems which may arise in actual implementation of the schemes. The states made detailed presentations on the status of the activities being undertaken to prevent and clinically mange the JE/AES cases. The Health Minister assured that the Centre will provide all technical support through the Dept. of Health Research, ICMR and NVBDCP. Shri Nadda stated that while he has already toured Tamil Nadu to assess the situation first hand, he will be visiting Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh this month and other affected areas very shortly.