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Encephalitis kills 93 in Muzaffarpur; Harsh Vardhan promises all help, Nitish announces Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia

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.

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Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan visits SKMCH, Muzaffarpur to review AES cases
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Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday visited the families of the children suffering from suspected acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur and assured them of all possible help from the Centre.

93 children have died so far in Muzaffarpur due to the disease. At Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), 79 children have lost their lives while 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 June 1, 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.

Director AIIMS on Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in Bihar, Randeep Guleria said, "Unfortunately encephalitis is common in Bihar and many research are being done. Our aim is to get control over the deaths. Both AIIMS & Central government are ready to help for the development of health infrastructure."

Encephalitis is a viral disease, which causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions and headaches and has been claiming lives in the district for the past few weeks.

Harsh Vardhan accompanied by his deputy Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey met the patients and their families at the SKMCH in Muzaffarpur. He reviewed public health measures for containment and management of AES. 

Earlier, attendants of patients admitted to the government hospital SKMCH alleged that there were no doctors on call during the night.

So far, 107 children have died due to AES in Bihar, out of which 93 have died in Muzaffarpur. 11 have died in Vaishali, two in Motihari and one in Begusarai.

"I assure the people of the area, especially the affected families, that the government will extend all possible help and measures to the state government," Vardhan told reporters.

State government officials, however, maintained that majority of the victims had died due to hypoglycemia, a condition caused by very low level of blood sugar and electrolyte imbalance.

Vardhan met the families at the SKMCH and held a meeting with senior officials and doctors.

Attributing heat and humidity as a possible reason behind the disease, the minister said the Ministry of Earth Sciences would help formulate an action plan with the state government to deal with the situation.

The India Meteorological Department's observatory in Muzaffarpur will be also be upgraded, he said.

Vardhan asked health officials to expedite and complete the super speciality block of the SKMCH, so that other departments of the facility could extend help and cooperation in tackling with the disease.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the deaths and announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia to the next of the kin of the deceased, an official release said.

He also directed the officials of the Health Department and the district administration as well as doctors to take all possible measures to tackle the disease. The chief minister prayed for a speedy recovery of the children suffering from suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

(With PTI inputs)

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