Nineteen more people died of suspected Japanese encephalitis in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh taking the toll upto 134 on Sunday even as the National Institute of Infectious Diseases confirmed 13 blood samples as being JE positive, a health official said.
Another 181 children were still being treated in BRD Medical College, where 464 people had been admitted since July 31, its Principal Saudan Singh said.
14 people succumbed to brain fever at a hospital in Gorakhpur while five died in villages of Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh, he added.
Singh said blood samples of 43 patients had been sent to NIID, New Delhi, which confirmed 13 to be "positive JE cases".
Arrangements had been made and additional doctors and paramedical staff had been requisitioned to cope with the inflow of brain fever patients, he said, adding that the number of patients coming to the hospital had slowed down due to the "awareness campaign" launched in the area after the disease raised an alarm.
Meanwhile, state Chief Secretary Neera Yadav said a full-fledged pathological laboratory for JE testing would start functioning at the District Hospital in Gorakhpur by September 15.
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