Bihar is a state which upholds a prestigious status in our minds when it comes to education, its rich culture and the great history of Magadha. But in recent days, Bihar has come into the light for an incredibly tragic reason. Bihar’s state health services have been toppled by a disease called Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). The children who have succumbed to this disease are the martyrs of the battle between the state’s poor medical infrastructure and Encephalitis, it sounds weird, but it’s true. Over 150 children have died of this curable disease till now.
What Is Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES)?
According to Vikaspedia, Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), including Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is a group of clinically similar neurological manifestations caused by several different viruses, bacteria, fungus, parasites, spirochetes, chemical/toxins etc. The outbreak of JE usually coincides with the monsoon and post-monsoon period, when the density of mosquitoes increases, while Encephalitis—which is caused due to enteric-viruses—occurs throughout the year as it is a water-borne disease.
Jagran Josh states that Encephalitis is an inflammation caused in the layers of tissue or membranes covering the brain. It is also known as Acute Viral Encephalitis or Aseptic Encephalitis, and in Hindi, it is known as ‘Chamki bukhar’. The severity of the fever is variable. Symptoms may include headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include seizures, hallucinations, trouble in speaking, memory problems, and problems in hearing.
What Makes The Situation Worse?
The reason behind the worsening of this situation is the inadequate management of and the negligence towards health services. Recently, the central government launched Ayushman Bharat Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). This scheme is expected to provide better healthcare services to the poor and seems to be a dream scheme for Prime Minister Narender Modi. But poor management resulted in the collapse of this scheme within a few months.
In Bihar, nearly 648 hospitals are empanelled under Ayushman Bharat, and 28 of them are in Muzaffarnagar, but the recent child deaths are proof of this scheme’s inadequacy. It is not just the government’s failure in taking steps for the public welfare; it’s also the lack of a system to effectively monitor the policies the government makes regularly and keeping a tab on the same. Another reason for the lax management of this crisis is the lack of accountability. No one has come forward to take responsibility for this gross negligence. And to our horror, we saw Bihar’s health minister asking the score of a cricket match during a press conference on Encephalitis.
What Precautionary Steps Should Be Taken Now?
The best part about our system is that we all love to debate on an issue—just after it happens. But it seems to fade from our memory with time. We need to change this mindset. Firstly, we have to look at all aspects of society, and not just look, but also gain a clear insight into a given situation. The primary causes of this disease are malnutrition and lack of cleanliness. The government needs to take reasonable actions to resolve these problems and also ensure the steps are implemented at the ground level. In U.P., the same disease had resulted in the death of many children, but the U.P. government took stock of the situation and provided vaccination in the affected areas in eastern Uttar Pradesh. So why didn’t the Nitish government take necessary steps to contain the situation in Bihar?
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan—another dream project of Narender Modi government aiming to clean up the country—has not achieved the desired results either. All we have are photo-ops by eminent leaders and their colleagues, but little has changed at grassroots. Where are the management and accountability? Efficient management is the best way to curb such situations. Also, not only the government but the citizens, too, are responsible for such incidents happening again and again. There have been reports in Bihar about how some of the villagers had refused to get their kids vaccinated owing to superstitions. Not just in remote areas but also in cities, how many of us act responsibly towards keeping our surroundings clean? We must change our attitudes. This is the need of the hour.
At last, one can only say, may the souls of these dead children rest in peace. We can’t change what has happened, but we can prevent future mishaps by taking precautionary measures. It does not matter how much or how long I write about this, what matters is—are we willing to make a difference where it matters the most? Failure of authorities, irresponsible media reporting, ignorant leaders—we have seen it all. And the best part? The silence of our best orator, our beloved Prime Minister, who is yet to utter a word condemning this issue.