Chugh demands NIA probe into Gurdaspur policemen’s killing Asks CM Mann to resign as Home Minister Chandigarh 23 February ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Expressing deep sorrow over the brutal killing of two Punjab Police personnel at a border post in Gurdaspur district, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said the sacrifice of the brave officers will not go in vain and the nation stands firmly with their bereaved families. He described the incident as deeply disturbing and a direct assault on the security framework of a sensitive border state. Given the proximity of the police post to the Indo-Pak international border and the emerging indications of possible cross-border involvement, Chugh demanded an immediate probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He said the matter is far too serious to be left to a routine state-level investigation and requires a comprehensive national security inquiry to uncover any larger conspiracy. Terming the incident a glaring collapse of the ...
A Year After WHO Alert, India Sees Progress on Encephalitis - New Push on Early Recognition
Chandigarh 23 February ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : India has recorded important gains in the prevention and management of encephalitis over the past decade, reflecting stronger clinical care, expanded vaccination coverage and improved surveillance. However, experts caution that progress has been uneven, and delayed recognition and diagnosis continue to result in preventable deaths and long-term neurological disability. Marking World Encephalitis Day 2026, global non-profit Encephalitis International is calling for renewed focus on early recognition of encephalitis - a potentially fatal inflammation of the brain that can affect anyone and often begins with flu-like symptoms that are often missed.
In 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever Technical Brief on Encephalitis, recognising the condition as a growing global public health threat and and urging countries to strengthen surveillance, vaccination strategies, early diagnosis, treatment and public awareness. The brief helped elevate encephalitis on global and national health agendas, including in India.
India’s experience reflects both progress and emerging challenges. National data show that mortality among patients with Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) declined from around 12.3% in 2015 to approximately 3.9% in 2022, pointing to improvements in health system response and patient management.
In Uttar Pradesh, one of the states most affected historically, confirmed Japanese Encephalitis (JE) cases declined steadily between 2018 and 2022, largely attributed to strengthened surveillance and government-backed childhood vaccination programmes. However, a shift in JE cases from children to adults, highlights gaps in immunity beyond childhood and ongoing challenges with vaccine uptake. Recent Indian studies also show that encephalitis is not a single-disease condition. A 2025 prospective study from northern India identified Scrub typhus as the leading cause of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome, with Chikungunya virus emerging as the most common viral cause. As surveillance improves and the definition of AES broadens, other serious infectious causes are increasingly being detected, adding complexity to the encephalitis burden.
This evolving pattern explains why, despite clear gains against “classic” Japanese Encephalitis, encephalitis overall remains a significant public health challenge in India. “The WHO technical brief helped move encephalitis out of the shadows and onto the global health agenda. In countries like India, we are seeing important improvements in survival, driven by better clinical care and vaccination programmes. But progress is uneven. Too many people still experience severe outcomes simply because encephalitis is not recognised early enough. Awareness remains the missing link - and recognising the warning signs can save lives,” said Dr. Ava Easton, Chief Executive of Encephalitis International.
Globally, encephalitis affects three people every minute, yet almost eight in ten people do not know what it is, leading to dangerous delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Comments
Post a Comment