Climate change and Japanese Encephalitis

Sobhapati Samom *

An 11 year old Class V student of Catholic School Canchipur Baby Lalrilu became sick in school and was hospitalized at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Hospital on June 27.The young girl was struck with high fever and became unconscious. Baby Lalrilu, the one and only daughter of a young Rongmei widow Luma, 39 a resident of Langthabal Chingkhong village in Imphal West district, unfortunately passed away the following day.

The family of the little child including grandmother Pantiguru,70 was not aware of the cause of her death. "We still don't know what kind of disease had attacked my grandchild, she was a very neat and clean child" Pantiguru said.

Both the family and state health officials remained clueless of the disease until Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh and National Centre for Disease Control , New Delhi confirmed that her samples tested positive of Japanese Encephalitis.

One day earlier another baby girl Fankiya, 6 years, of Lilong Turel Ahanbi village in Thoubal district also died three days after her hospitalization due to a similar symptom. Last year Baby Fankiya's locality had witnessed an outbreak of an unknown disease.

"One 12 year old girl and a 28 year old young man were hospitalized due to an unknown disease last year", Fankiya's father Fariduddin, 32 recalled.

Even though the victims of the epidemic were mostly young children, a visit to another victim Haobijam Mema, 45 at Sawombung Wairi-Khundrakpam village in Imphal East district has indicated that the disease does not spare adults too as Mema had similar symptoms before she succumbed to her death.

As many as 34 persons in the state were officially reported to have died due to Japanese Encephalitis syndrome within a span of just one month (July).

Most of the victims, including the first three, M Sanathoi of Irengbam village, Salam Naocha of Loktak Project both from Bishnupur district and Bharat of Kangpokpiin Senapati district, lived in the periphery of rice fields. State Malaria Office however claimed that the actual death toll from Japanese Encephalitis was just 9 while around 60 suspects were given symptomatic treatment.

However it is learned that Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) had claimed 15 lives during the period. Even if the disease was cyclical in appearance, no Japanese Encephalitis cases were reported in 2005 and 2006.But state recorded a single case in 2007 followed by 4 other suspected cases in 2008.Last year it is learned there were 64 suspected cases, but there was no report of any casualty unlike in the current year.

The overall situation in the state has shown a substantial increase in total malaria cases in 2009 as compared with the same period in 2008 . Interestingly in order to prevent malaria, the state malaria office had distributed 3,09,718 mosquito nets treated with insecticides last year.

But it was quite a surprise for the common man, to learnt that the dreaded epidemic has appeared all of a sudden in a climatically pleasant place like Manipur. Kh Meghachandra, Officer in Charge of Meteorological (MET) Office, Imphal retorted "No! Manipur is no longer a pleasant or cold place, it would be instructive if one has observed the rainfall pattern of the state in the last few years" .

Unlike the last decade, summer refuses to end in Manipur and MET office finds it hard to predict rainfall patterns even in the peak monsoon months. Manipur recorded an actual rainfall of 594.7 mm during last year's monsoon (June to September) against this year's rainfall of 801.1 mm.

In 2008, the state recorded rainfall of 625.3 mm. Although the state had experienced drought conditions last year, it seems the state has had sufficient rains this year. This year's early monsoon helped the germination process of rice across the 1.68 lakh hectares of cultivable land out of total 1.90 lakh hectares of agricultural land.

However, as a result of the heavy rains most of the rice fields both in the valley and hills have large quantities of stagnant water which happens to be the best breeding ground of the culex mosquito which spreads Japanese Encephalitis.

"So chances of the outbreak of the disease are high if there is an early monsoon", Y Krishna, Entomologist of the state malaria office said. Sharing a similar sentiment, T Kamini, biologist in the State Malaria Control Office, said the population of the culex mosquito could be increased when stagnant water submerges paddy plants.

Mosquitos from rice fields might have bitten villagers settled nearby particularly the children and spread the disease, a senior official at State Health Services Directorate in Manipur observed. Climate change would be the major factor for the outbreak of the epidemic this year.

Apart from global warming and climate change, the mushrooming of piggery farms both in rural and urban areas is another factor for the sudden rise of population of culex mosquitos because pigs are one of it's host animals, according to a senior researcher at the Department of Bio-technology in Manipur University.

"However no study or investigation has been done so far", he said. State health officials are yet to look into the impacts of climate change. However they've launched a massive vaccination programme with a target to vaccinate 5.92 lakhs children(below 15 years) with SA14-14-2 in the state's five districts-Imphal West, East, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Chandel from October 25 .

A decade back the maximum temperature in Imphal was 30 to 33 degrees celsius. It has risen to 35/36 degrees celsius since last year. "This indicates that Manipur is warming up. This may directly or indirectly be related with climate change and global warming", a MET official said.

The culex mosquito that spreads Japanese Encephalitis can not survived at temperatures below 16 degrees celsius, they are very active in warm temperatures ranging from 20-30 degrees celsius, biologists further explained. These mosquitos becoming active in Manipur means that the climate has changed.

Global warming affects insects and pests, and mosquitos have migrated to higher altitudes and have adapted there. This also poses new health problems. There will be more and more cases of mosquito related diseases in places previously never heard of.

Even in the hills of Manipur's Ukhrul district, 84 km north-east of Imphal people have started to use mosquito nets since the last two years. "We've been using it to protect from mosquito bites", AS Haorela, 55 housewife in Ukhrul town said.

"Earlier we never used it. But now some families have even started to use ceiling fans".

This proves that a hill station such as Ukhrul is no more the cold place as it used to be. Global warming is right here.