A retired employee of Public Works Department (PWD) from Assam’s Barpeta succumbed to vector-borne Japanese Encephalitis (JE) disease at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Thursday night.

The retired employee has been identified as Khanin Pathak who was undergoing treatment at the hospital succumbed to the disease.

The body of the deceased was taken to his residence in Barpeta today morning, sources informed.

It is further learnt that the number of cases related to the vector-borne disease is increasing steadily in the Barpeta district.

Earlier in the day, one teenage girl named Sushmita Basumatary from Chirang’s Basugaon died after suffering from the disease.

In another case, Mukut Bhuyan, a prominent social media activist died while he was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Nagaon.

JE is a viral brain infection that spreads through mosquito bites. The virus, found in pigs and birds, is passed to mosquitoes when they bite infected animals. There is no cure for the disease. Treatment is focused on relieving severe clinical signs and supporting the patient to overcome the infection.

Earlier, the state government released the following instructions to prevent ourselves from getting infected with the disease:

• Do not let water accumulate in and around your home

• Run smoke across the house

• Wear full-sleeved topwear or full-covered clothes to avoid mosquito bite

• Use mosquito net, mosquito repellent creams, liquid vapouriser, etc