Acute Encephalitis Syndrome toll mounts to 81 in Bihar

Altogether 22 children have died from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in the past 24 hours in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district taking the toll to 81.

Twenty two children have died at the government-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital and the private Kejriwal hospital besides health centres in Muzaffarpur district in the past 24 hours from AES taking the toll to 81 since the outbreak of the disease two weeks ago, District Magistrate Anupam Kumar told reporters in Patna on Monday.

Altogether 458 children are being treated at the two hospitals and Primary Health Centres in Muzaffarpur district, while 79 children have fully recovered, he said.

Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi hit out at the Centre for not providing adequate assistance to the state government to deal with AES beyond sending its team to Bihar.

Manjhi said that the state government has sought help from the WHO to ascertain the root cause behind the outbreak of deadly fever-related disease in the state every year so that a permanent solution could be found.

Health Minister Ramdhani Singh said the victims are mostly from Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, Sitamarhi and adjoining districts.

Singh said that medical teams from Darbhanga and Patna have been rushed to Muzaffarpur and 25 to 30 ambulances provided to transport ill children to hospitals at Muzaffarpur.