Shanxi is not the only province to suffer from encephalitis B
this year. The viral disease has also claimed seven lives in
northwest China's Shaanxi Province, according to the provincial
health bureau on Friday.
A total of 186 people in Shaanxi have been infected with the
mosquito-transmitted disease since Jan. 1, up 27.40 percent year on
year, according to the bureau.
Rural residents and children account for 82 percent of the
reported cases, according to the bureau.
Encephalitis B causes an inflammation of the brain and can be
contracted by people of all ages. It is usually the result of a
viral infection transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. The illness
begins with flu-like symptoms and severe headaches.
The provincial health bureau has warned local people to visit
doctors as soon as possible if they develop these symptoms.
The bureau also called on local disease control centers to move
quickly to eradicate mosquitoes and raise public awareness about
prevention to stop infections, especially in places where
encephalitis B cases have been reported.
Encephalitis B cases usually occur in July, August and September
and the under-10 age group can easily be affected, according to the
Shaanxi provincial health bureau.
Young people stricken with the illness are more likely to die or
suffer a disability.
The Chinese Ministry of Health urged this week that measures to
prevent and control encephalitis B be stepped up all over the
country, after a recent outbreak that killed 19 in Yuncheng City in
north China's Shanxi Province.
Places where livestock are kept must undergo strict mosquito
controls to cut off infection channels. People should avoid staying
overnight in the open air in places where mosquitoes gather and
take protective measures like using window screens and mosquito
repellent, according to the ministry.
People who develop symptoms of fever, headache, vomiting and
sleepiness after being bitten by mosquitoes must go to hospital as
soon as possible, said the ministry.
It said that vaccination is critical to controlling encephalitis
B. Provinces must vaccinate children and provinces where outbreaks
have been reported must carry out emergency vaccinations.
Suspected or confirmed encephalitis B cases must be reported
quickly and epidemiological research carried out in outbreak-hit
areas.
Surveillance and early warning measures for the disease must be
properly carried out, it added.
Health authorities at all levels are responsible for supervising
the control of encephalitis B and ensuring that all necessary
measures are correctly implemented, according to the ministry.
An outbreak of encephalitis B in Yuncheng City, in Shanxi
province, had infected 65 people as of last Monday, of whom 19 have
died.
Effective measures have been taken to curb the spread of the
disease since the first case was reported on July 13, according to
Shanxi health authorities.
Nine out of 13 counties of the city, which has a population of 5
million, have reported cases of encephalitis B, said the local
disease control center. Yuncheng, which reported about 30 cases of
encephalitis B in 2005,accounts for over 50 percent of encephalitis
B cases in Shanxi Province each year.
Last month, the health ministry received 2,314 reports of new
encephalitis B cases, up 43.73 percent on the same period last
year. It also recorded 78 deaths from the disease, down 6.02
percent year-on-year.
The ministry noted it was peak season for encephalitis B and
called for local authorities to do more to prevent its spread.
China saw two big outbreaks of encephalitis B in the 1960s and
1970s, prompting a nationwide vaccination campaign.
However, over the last couple of years, encephalitis B has been
on the resurge, with China reporting between 5,000 and 10,000 cases
a year. Some local areas have been ravaged by severe outbreaks.
(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2006)