Anuraag-- Newsletter of NSS IIT KGP --- This edition is published on Independence Day of India, i.e. August 15, 2014
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Anuraag a newsletter of NSS – IIT Kharagpur In this issue: Highlights Photo feature: Regular NSS activities Photo feature: Annual Day Celebration, April 12, 2014 Japanese Encephalitis – a preventable killer by Prof Nemai Bhattacharya Highlights For creative personalities monsoon season has been the most inspirational from time immemorial. However, monsoon comes with perils such as destructive cyclones, floods and disease outbreaks. NSS volunteers from IIT Kharagpur have been braving the fury of nature, trudging the village roads rendered almost impassable and helping destitute villagers with rebuilding their damaged dwellings, spreading awareness on hazards posed by insect infestations, backfilling to raise waterlogged areas and cleaning water bodies with potash and alum. Another regular activity of the monsoon season NSS volunteers is planting saplings, as well as ensuring upkeep of what have been planted this year as well those planted earlier taking help from the locals. A number of units of NSS – IIT Kharagpur, e.g., Unit 7 that operates in Gholghoria, have been undertaking this activity for years with religious passion. They have developed barricaded enclosures within the premises of a primary school and the Anganwadi unit of the village for their tree planting activities taking help from Mr Bhabesh Bhanja, schoolmaster at Gholghoria Primary School. In fact, Bhabesh-babu proudly tells visitors that fruits from the trees planted earlier are being regularly distributed amongst the students of the primary school. NSS – IIT Kharagpur also want to share with their well wishers the sad news that Avik Mahto, 10, was a regular participant of the weekend classes run by Unit 4 volunteers at Porapara since 2010, passed away on February 8, 2014. He was suffering from bone marrow complications. The problem was detected only in late 2013. Volunteers of Unit 4 have raised Rupees 12,500.00 for instituting an annual prize of Rs1000.00 in Avik’s memory to be awarded to the best class V student of Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Gopali Ashram, Salua; the school Avik last attended. This issue of Anuraag shares an article on Japanese Encephalitis. NSS is grateful to receive this contribution from Professor N Bhattacharya of the School of Tropical Medicine of Calcutta Medical College Hospital. The article highlights the necessity of spreading public awareness and environmental cleanliness. Professor Bhattacharya also stresses upon the need to mediate roll out of National Malaria Eradication Program in the villages adopted by NSS – IIT Kharagpur; a suggestion to be explored with the government agencies in near future. August 15, 2014
Transcript
Anuraag
a newsletter of NSS – IIT Kharagpur In this issue:
Highlights Photo feature: Regular NSS
activities Photo feature: Annual Day
Celebration, April 12, 2014 Japanese Encephalitis – a
preventable killer by Prof Nemai Bhattacharya
Highlights For creative personalities monsoon season has been the most
inspirational from time immemorial. However, monsoon comes with perils such as destructive cyclones, floods and disease outbreaks. NSS volunteers from IIT Kharagpur have been braving the fury of nature, trudging the village roads rendered almost impassable and helping destitute villagers with rebuilding their damaged dwellings, spreading awareness on hazards posed by insect infestations, backfilling to raise waterlogged areas and cleaning water bodies with potash and alum.
Another regular activity of the monsoon season NSS volunteers is planting saplings, as well as ensuring upkeep of what have been planted this year as well those planted earlier taking help from the locals. A number of units of NSS – IIT Kharagpur, e.g., Unit 7 that operates in Gholghoria, have been undertaking this activity for years with religious passion. They have developed barricaded enclosures within the premises of a primary school and the Anganwadi unit of the village for their tree planting activities taking help from Mr Bhabesh Bhanja, schoolmaster at Gholghoria Primary School. In fact, Bhabesh-babu proudly tells visitors that fruits from the trees planted earlier are being regularly distributed amongst the students of the primary school.
NSS – IIT Kharagpur also want to share with their well wishers the sad news that Avik Mahto, 10, was a regular participant of the weekend classes run by Unit 4 volunteers at Porapara since 2010, passed away on February 8, 2014. He was suffering from bone marrow complications. The problem was detected only in late 2013. Volunteers of Unit 4 have raised Rupees 12,500.00 for instituting an annual prize of Rs1000.00 in Avik’s memory to be awarded to the best class V student of Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Gopali Ashram, Salua; the school Avik last attended.
This issue of Anuraag shares an article on Japanese Encephalitis. NSS is grateful to receive this contribution from Professor N Bhattacharya of the School of Tropical Medicine of Calcutta Medical College Hospital. The article highlights the necessity of spreading public awareness and environmental cleanliness. Professor Bhattacharya also stresses upon the need to mediate roll out of National Malaria Eradication Program in the villages adopted by NSS – IIT Kharagpur; a suggestion to be explored with the government agencies in near future.
August 15, 2014
Photo feature
Regular activities
Photo feature NSS Annual Day
More than 1000 NSS volunteers from IIT
Kharagpur spends three hours every week teaching children, planting tress, campaigning to
raise environmental cleanliness and social
awareness, provide help with upkeep of schools and public
facilities, conduct medical camps and collect clothes,
books and toys for distribution amongst underprivileged
children at 20 villages and slums around IIT Campus.
This photo feature illustrates a few of these activities.
NSS – IIT Kharagpur celebrated their Annual Day
on April 12, 2014. Professor PP Chakrabarti, Director, IIT Kharagpur and Professor R Singh, Dean, Undergraduate
Studies addressed the volunteers on this occasion.
They gave away best volunteer prizes and medals to three units with best all round performance at the 2014 NSS
annual camp. Professor Jacob Chacko gave away the
Chandrasekhar Memorial Annual Prize to six
exceptional Class XI students from schools adopted by NSS
– IIT Kharagpur.
s
Japanese encephalitis is endemic in Southeast Asia and West Pacific. Of about 3 billion people living in these regions there are at least 50,000 cases of affliction annually and 10,000 deaths. The viral disease was first recognized in India in 1955 in North Arcot district of Tamil Nadu and the adjacent areas of Andhra Pradesh. Japanese Encephalitis virus was isolated from wild mosquitoes in the same year, followed by isolations from patients from the same area in 1958. Thereafter, the affliction continues to be seasonally prevalent in these states. From 1972 epidemics or outbreaks have been reported from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala and Maharashtra. In 1973 Japanese Encephalitis outbreak was reported in Burdwan and Bankura districts of south Bengal, leading to 300 deaths from 700 reported cases. Thereafter several outbreaks of the disease took place in the southern districts of the state. More recently, several cases of Japanese Encephalitis have been reported from the districts of North Bengal.
The disease is caused by an enveloped RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family found mainly in wild birds and domesticated animals such as pigs. The virus is spherical in shape with 40 nm to 50 nm diameter. The envelope proteins help the virus to attach to cells, enter blood stream, multiply within host cells and instigate blood clotting. The virus finds its way into human bodies mainly via night-time bites of infected culex mosquitoes – species that breed in stagnant water such as those found in rice paddy. Very rarely Japanese Encephalitis is also transmitted from person to person through blood transfusion, organ transplantation, intrauterine transmission and breast feeding.
Most human cases of the affliction are asymptomatic. Older children and adults generally acquire immunity through earlier asymptomatic exposures. In 0.1 % to 4 % of infections symptoms such as gastrointestinal pain and dysfunction, mild to high fever, mild to severe headache, altered mental state, tremors, occasional convulsions and even acute flaccid paralysis develop mainly affecting children younger than 10 and the elderly. Usually the disease persists over a week or, very rarely, over two weeks. Permanent disability could result in 50% of cases and fatality in 25%.
Laboratory diagnosis of infection is usually accomplished through blood serum test attempting to detect IgM antibodies, although in 25% to 30% of cases the test may come negative especially if conducted within the first 4 days of affliction.
There is no specific treatment except ensuring relief of symptoms. Preventions include immunization with JE vaccine, put in place insect control measures such as application of insect repellent cream on exposed skin and use of mosquito nets and facilitate roll out of control programs implemented by the state government under the National Malaria Eradication Program.
Japanese Encephalitis – a preventable killer Prof Nemai Bhattacharya, School of Tropical Medicine, Calcutta Medical College and Hospital: [email protected]
NSS – IIT Kharagpur for more information visit: nssiitkgp.blogspot.com
Anuraag
Meet the new members of the NSS Team NSS – IIT Kharagpur welcome Professors Analava Mitra (SMST) and Rudra Pradhan (VGSoM), who joined the NSS team in July 2014. Professor Mitra took charge of Unit 3 serving the Rakhalgeria and Malma villages and Salua Board Primary School. Professor Pradhan took over Unit 4 that serves Porapara village. Professor Ramkrishna Sen (BT), also got back with NSS upon return his from sabbatical. He takes charge of Unit 1. The NSS team want to thank Professors Abraham George (ARP), Ahin Nag (Chem) and Vikranth Racherla (ME) for helping with NSS activities as Program Officers.
August 15, 2014
NSS Officers, IIT Kharagpur Name (Function, Unit) Telephone Email Ramkrishna Sen (PO, 1) 3222 283752 [email protected]
