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83 Children, Most Under Age 10, Have Died Of Encephalitis In Bihar

The state health department’s advisory said the disease spread because of excessive heat and humidity.
A child suffering from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome under treatment in the PICU ward of Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) on 13 June 2019 in Muzaffarpur.
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A child suffering from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome under treatment in the PICU ward of Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) on 13 June 2019 in Muzaffarpur.

PATNA/ MUZAFFARPUR — With one more child dying of suspected AES in Muzaffarpur on Sunday morning, the death toll of children in the district rose to 83 this month, even as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced an ex-gratia of Rs four lakh each.

Kumar expressed grief over the children’s death in Muzaffarpur and ordered payment of Rs four lakh as ex-gratia to the next of the kin of the deceased, an official release said.

The state health department’s advisory said the disease spread because of excessive heat and humidity, the Hindustan Times reported.

The intense heat wave in Bihar has claimed over 45 lives in the last 24 hours and over a 100 have been hospitalised, The Hindu said. All schools in Patna have been ordered shut till 19 June.

Nitish Kumar has directed officials of the Health department and the district administration as well as doctors to take all possible measures to tackle the disease, PTI reported.

A press release issued by the Muzaffarpur district administration said till Sunday 9 am, 83 children had died at the state-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) and the Kejriwal Hospital, which was run by a trust. According to the release, 69 children had died at the SKMCH, while 14 died at the Kejriwal Hospital due to suspected cases of AES.

Officials, however, maintained that a majority of the victims, most of whom were below 10 years of age, had fallen prey to hypoglycemia, a condition caused by a very low level of blood sugar and electrolyte imbalance.

Since 1 June, 197 children were admitted to the SKMCH while 91 were taken to Kejriwal Hospital with suspected AES, but most of them were found to be victims of hypoglycemia.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is scheduled to visit Muzaffarpur on Sunday to take stock of the situation. He will hold meetings with doctors and officials of both the central and state governments.

Vardhan is also scheduled to hold a review meeting with the officials of the Health and other departments concerned of the state government in Patna later in the day.

He was accompanied by state Health Minister Mangal Pandey during his visit to Muzaffarpur.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, who is also the Bihar unit chief of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), visited the SKMCH on Saturday.

Principal Secretary (Health) Sanjay Kumar had said a few days ago that the disease had affected 222 blocks in 12 districts, especially in Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Sheohar and East Champaran.

A team of experts from the Centre visited Muzaffarpur on Wednesday.

(With inputs from PTI)

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.