Patna, Feb. 23: The state health department has prepared an integrated plan for districts that reported maximum number of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome cases in 2011.

The plan is to ensure that the state is better prepared to tackle encephalitis that claimed over 140 lives last year. Once the World Health Organisation (WHO) gives a final shape to the project by March 3, it will be sent to the Centre for approval. Principal secretary (health) Amarjeet Sinha said a detailed discussion on the project was held among representatives of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), WHO and the health department on Tuesday.

“Our aim is to enhance treatment facilities and hygiene and nutrition standards at the places where there was outbreak of the disease last year. We first plan to open special paediatric units in Gaya and Muzaffarpur. As part of the project, nutritional centres will be set up in villages from where most of the cases were reported. We will also request the Centre to give technical advice and assistance to carry out mass vaccination ahead of monsoon this year in areas that were worst hit,” Sinha said.

He added that WHO has been asked to prepare a final draft of the plan that will be sent to the Union ministry of health and family welfare and other agencies for raising funds and seeking technical assistance. “If we do not get monetary assistance from the Centre, we will use our own resources,” Sinha said.

The plan also envisages setting up of long-term research centres at Anugrah Narayan Medical College and Hospital, Gaya and Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, Muzaffarpur. While about 30 per cent of the cases that were reported from Gaya were confirmed Japanese encephalitis instances, there was no clarity on the type of encephalitis that was reported from Muzaffarpur and even National Institute of Virology, Pune, could not diagnose the disease from the cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples collected from the affected children.