AGARTALA, June 13 (TIWN): ‘Lesson learnt’ from Japanese encephalitis, from at least 3 infants deaths recently. Due to brewing public pressure, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar held a review meeting on Saturday at Agartala Pragna Bhawan in presence of State Health Minister Badal Chowdhury. State Chief Secretary Yashpal Singh along with state health secretary M. Nagaraju remained present in the meeting. The meeting kicked off on Saturday taking up the issue of the precautionary measures to be taken for the summer diseases, said official.Several vector borne diseases like malaria, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Diarrhea and other such diseases had taken a toll in this summer across the state especially in the remote areas of the state. However following this, the review meeting was held on Saturday. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar discussed certain issues like door to door awareness campaign regarding the diseases and to boost up the health care facilities at the remote areas of the state. However, this month a total of 3 infants died allegedly after being administered with the JE vaccination.Following the request of the State Government here, a central expert team had arrived here in state and conducted an inquiry to the deaths of those infants. But the central expert team had reported the State Government here to suspend the vaccination programme until the team files the final report.A total of 5, 13,000 children were supposed to be immunized. However, only 2, 26,492 children have been immunized as of now.

A preliminary report had already been tabled with the State Health Department. According to the report the infants died, not because they were administered with the vaccine but because of measles. Amidst the process, three infants incurred death.

However, a meeting was being held on Saturday, where CM and Minister Badal Chowdhury remained present to take up the discussion on several precautionary measures, which are need to be taken to restrict vector borne diseases gripping the remote areas of the state at large.

Though no deaths due to malaria has been reported yet this year, but it had taken a toll previous year with hundreds of people of the remote areas died due to malaria. According to the report several awareness camps were organized in the remote villages of the state taking up the issue of the malaria and other water borne diseases as of now this year.