“Only a healthy man is able to contribute completely to the society.” This was the opinion of Zilla Panchayat member K Yashodamma who was speaking at a meet to discuss brain fever.

Meningitis was discussed  at seminar that was organised under the joint aegis of Information department, health department and Samruddhi trust in the Tayaloor government college premises on Thursday.

"If we donot keep our surroundings clean then diseases attack us. Standing  water invites mosquitoes that spread fatal illness” she said.

She also added that if one maintains cleanliness then cleanliness maintains us and added that the green cover was essential in every town and village. But it was not the onus of the government alone to maintain these green spaces but the cooperation of the people was also important.

Fatal ailment

Mulbagal health education officer Muniratnaiaha who spoke on the  occasion said that the brain fever which is also called meningitis or Japanese syphilite is fatal in most cases as 40% of its victims die and the remaining have  high  chance of being  retarded for the  rest of their  lives. He also explained that pigs were the  carriers of the virus that causes this disease.

Spread of disease

Mosquitoes bite pigs and then when they bite humans they transfer the  virus to the humans. The symptoms of this disease are high fever and chronic head aches which are followed by  body shivers, throat ache and fainting.

The disease was first  diagnosed in India in Tamil Nadu in 1955 . In the 2005 6727 children were stricken by this deadly disease and 1682 of them died because of it. In Karnataka 1682 people have been  diagnosed with this disease and already ten of them are dead. Children between the age group of one to  fifteen are especially vulnerable to to this illness.

It is this reason that the vaccination drive has been conducted in the entire state.  It also should be taken care that water  does not stagnate District health education officer Jayanna also spoke on the occasion and added that the maintaining cleanliness was the  only solution to restrict the illness and this responsibility fell on every person in the society.

Govt initiative

He also added that the World Health Organisation and the Central Government of  India had taken  up many initiatives to safe guard the  well being of the country and the meningitis vaccination drive was one among them.

The resident  doctor at Tayaloor health centre Dr Ravindra, said that the very expensive brain fever vaccine was being  distributed free of  cost by the  government and that every body should take advantage of this  facility and protect their children.