In UP, encephalitis warriors lead by example

Concerted effort against encephalitis through the health department’s Dastak campaign has brought to the fore a number of heroes. The knock on their doors opened their minds against the annual killer in eastern UP and turned them into warriors against the deadly disease which claims around 500 lives each year. Experts say that these hyper local influencers will trigger the process of demand-generated health delivery system in the days to come. As the health department continues to reinforce their power, TOI profiles some of them. This phase of Dastak ended on Tuesday.

Preaching against the annual killer: On ordinary days, Maulana Akram of Madrassa Darul Uloom Anjuman Islamia in Kushinagar is a religious leader showing the path of righteousness to the community. The elderly man has an additional task these days—to create awareness around faulty practices that cause encephalitis or contribute to the disease. Visiting villages of Padrauna, he is making people understand that fever with fits is a sign of encephalitis and ignoring it will push the child to a death trap. “It is the duty of every religious leader to guide the community towards good health. Encephalitis is a burning issue in my area and I am working against it in a targeted way,” he said.


Village heads lead by example: In Paina, a village in Deoria, pradhan Mamta Devi took charge to ensure that all children in her village availed the benefit of free anti-encephalitis vaccination(AEV) drive. Mamta went personally to counter resistance to vaccination and mobilise people against open defecation. She also organised prevention ‘sabhas’ to create awareness on early symptoms of encephalitis. “Every family of the village is the responsibility of the pradhan. I am only doing my job,” she said. In Jogiabari village of Maharajganj, 63-year-old illiterate pradhan Sant Raj Yadav has turned into a campaigner against AEV. The elderly village head went from house to house alerting families about early signs of encephalitis and dangers of taking children to quacks.

School staff turn motivators: Pratibha Dubey, the principal of a government primary school in Jogiabari, is a role model for others. She joined the Dastak campaign a day after her brother met with a road accident in Allahabad. “Encephalitis kills scores of children in the region. Governments alone cannot prevent this menace. Everyone including me will have to contribute,” she said.

Children became agents of change: Determined to fight ‘Dimagi Bukhar’ that has killed some of their classmates, schoolchildren in the affected region have become agents of change. Srishty, an 11-year-old from Mahuli Khas village in Sant Kabir Nagar, lends a face to such children. Srishty broke open her piggy bank to buy mosquito nets for her family. Then she compelled her father to buy soap and use it. Srishty said, “There is nothing which cannot be followed to prevent encephalitis. I don’t want my siblings to get attacked by the disease.”