100 children die due to acute encephalitis in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur

Muzaffarpur: Death toll due to encephalitis in Muzaffarpur rose to 100 on Monday, officials said.

Sunil Kumar Shahi, Superintendent at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), said, "Death toll due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur has risen to 100."

According to official data, 83 children have died in Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), while 17 have lost their lives in Kejriwal hospital in the city.

When asked if Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will visit the hospital, Rajak told media, "Everything is being monitored by CM. What is important? Monitoring and treating the patients or him visiting here?"

In the wake of fatalities due to the disease, Nitish Kumar had earlier announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to families of the deceased.

He had also given directions to the Health Department, district administration and doctors to take necessary measures to fight the disease.

AES is a viral disease, which causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions, and headaches.

Last week, Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey had said a team that was formed to ascertain the cause of this disease concluded that sleeping empty stomach at night, dehydration due to humidity and eating lychee on empty stomach were some of the causes of encephalitis.