Encephalitis and flood fear worry Assam amid coronavirus pandemic

The floods and Encephalitis that claims several lives almost every year has left Assam worried amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state health department has issued an alert asking the district units to step up preventive measures against Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) while Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday asked all agencies to gear up to reduce the impact of floods this year.

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JE and AES claimed nearly 600 lives last year while nearly 100 people died due to floods. Over 300 animals including 18 one-horned rhinos died in Kaziranga National Park in floods last year.

"We have all the mechanisms in place to tackle JE and AES as we face this problem every year but we will have an added challenge during treatment of such patients this year due to COVID-19," said a health department official.

The state reports Encephalitis cases between June and September.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday inspected work of a 23.38-km long embankment in Golaghat district that seeks to check the impact of flood and erosion on Kaziranga National Park, a Unesco World Heritage site and the biggest tourist attraction.

Stating that the work of the embankment could not be started on time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown, Sonowal instructed the department to complete it by May 30. The 7.5 wide embankment from Morihula to Agoratoli in Golaghat district in eastern Assam is being funded by Asian Development Bank.

"Floods cause massive damage almost every year from June onwards and so we are trying to reduce such impact this year. We are also taking steps to ensure the safety of the wild animals in Kaziranga," Sonowal told reporters after inspecting the embankment work.