MoS for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that as many as 872 cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) were reported in Bihar in the year 2019.

The minister said that out of 872, 176 succumbed to the disease.

He also stated that Japanese Encephalitis (JE) this year led to the death of one individual in Bihar whereas 16 cases of it were reported from the state.

In a reply to an unstarred question raised by many parliamentarians on the issue of AES, the government further stated that officials from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) visited Muzaffarpur, Bihar for investigating the AES outbreak, in June 2019.

MoS Choubey also replied to a question on 'whether study carried out by Government on aspects of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome and Japanese Encephalitis'&nbsp;and asserted that limited numbers of serum and litchi samples were tested for methylene-cyclopropyl glycine (MCPG) toxin.

"At least half were found MCPG positive. Around 90 samples were tested for infectious agents at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and non-ICMR Institutes. Few samples were found positive for dengue, chikungunya and Japanese Encephalitis, majority tested negative, indicates predominantly non-infectious aetiology."

During the reply, it was also stated that Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have taken measures to support the state in the containment of AES cases and had reviewed the situation with health minister of Bihar and also with officials from the ministry.

It has also deputed that a central team of experts consisting of public health specialist from various central government institutes to assist the state government in containment and management measures.

The government also informed that Central ministry had deputed five teams of doctors along with technicians from central government hospitals to SKMCH to support clinical management.

MoS for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that as many as 872 cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) were reported in Bihar in the year 2019.

MoS for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that as many as 872 cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) were reported in Bihar in the year 2019. The minister said that out of 872, 176 succumbed to the disease. He also stated that Japanese Encephalitis (JE) this year led to the death of one individual in Bihar whereas 16 cases of it were reported from the state. In a reply to an unstarred question raised by many parliamentarians on the issue of AES, the government further stated that officials from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) visited Muzaffarpur, Bihar for investigating the AES outbreak, in June 2019. MoS Choubey also replied to a question on 'whether study carried out by Government on aspects of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome and Japanese Encephalitis' and asserted that limited numbers of serum and litchi samples were tested for methylene-cyclopropyl glycine (MCPG) toxin. "At least half were found MCPG positive. Around 90 samples were tested for infectious agents at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and non-ICMR Institutes. Few samples were found positive for dengue, chikungunya and Japanese Encephalitis, majority tested negative, indicates predominantly non-infectious aetiology." During the reply, it was also stated that Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have taken measures to support the state in the containment of AES cases and had reviewed the situation with health minister of Bihar and also with officials from the ministry. It has also deputed that a central team of experts consisting of public health specialist from various central government institutes to assist the state government in containment and management measures. The government also informed that Central ministry had deputed five teams of doctors along with technicians from central government hospitals to SKMCH to support clinical management.

176 died in Bihar due to Acute Encephalitis this year, 872 cases reported

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday termed the deaths of children in Bihar due to &nbsp;Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) 'a matter of shame' and 'unfortunate'.

Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, he said that the central government was in touch with the Bihar government to deal with the crisis.

"The deaths in Bihar due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome are unfortunate and a matter of shame for us. We have to take this seriously. I am in constant touch with the state Govt and I am sure we will collectively come out of this crisis soon," he said.

He also said that there was an urgent need to strengthen Ayushman Bharat scheme so poor could get affordable medical treatment. 
&nbsp;

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We want our poor to get top quality and affordable treatment: PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a>
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The death toll climbed to 132 in Muzaffarpur district, while the total number of casualties across the state was 154, officials said. Chief minister Nitish Kumar had announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the children who died due to AES.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court said the deaths of children in Muzaffarpur due to an outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) is a matter of “grave concern” and directed the Centre and the Bihar government to file their response on medical care facilities there within a week.

Symptoms of AES include high fever, convulsions and extremely low blood sugar levels. Among the factors said to trigger the syndrome are malnutrition. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday termed the deaths of children in Bihar due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) 'a matter of shame' and 'unfortunate'. Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, he said that the central government was in touch with the Bihar government to deal with the crisis.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday termed the deaths of children in Bihar due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) 'a matter of shame' and 'unfortunate'. Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, he said that the central government was in touch with the Bihar government to deal with the crisis. "The deaths in Bihar due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome are unfortunate and a matter of shame for us. We have to take this seriously. I am in constant touch with the state Govt and I am sure we will collectively come out of this crisis soon," he said. He also said that there was an urgent need to strengthen Ayushman Bharat scheme so poor could get affordable medical treatment. The need of the hour is to strengthen Ayushman Bharat. We want our poor to get top quality and affordable treatment: PM @narendramodi — PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 26, 2019 × The death toll climbed to 132 in Muzaffarpur district, while the total number of casualties across the state was 154, officials said. Chief minister Nitish Kumar had announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the children who died due to AES. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court said the deaths of children in Muzaffarpur due to an outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) is a matter of “grave concern” and directed the Centre and the Bihar government to file their response on medical care facilities there within a week. Symptoms of AES include high fever, convulsions and extremely low blood sugar levels. Among the factors said to trigger the syndrome are malnutrition. (With inputs from agencies)

Encephalitis deaths in Bihar a matter of shame, says PM Narendra Modi

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats children. So said Nelson Mandela, and India’s latest episode of officially nearly 150 children dying in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, takes us back to these thoughts.&nbsp;

As summer arrives every year, children in the Indo-Gangetic plain, especially from the most underprivileged, keep dying.

No heads roll, shining India continues to aspire for a 2030 space station, bullet trains or hyperloops occasionally vetted by its multi-billion dollar sports economy adding to the sheen of that visceral celebration.

Heart-wrenching it may be, but children, after all, are children, useless to societies rationally perhaps and dispensable, especially if they come from the poorest of the poor – thus they die.

Such a hypothesis, surprisingly, is not just a skeptic’s rant, but actually has historical support. In a fascinating book Pricing the Priceless Child: The Changing Social Value of Children, Princeton sociologist Viviana A Zelizer, pointed out that in the Western world similar apathy was common place to the deaths of children between the 16th and 19th century.&nbsp;

Among other points (related to the value of a child rising with participation in the labour force), Zelizer also cites the work by Edward Shorter, a University of Toronto historian of medicine, who discusses children in Europe being considered as a rational investment and hence their death not being mourned much through the 16th to the 19th century.&nbsp;

Traditional mothers may not have cared much, Shorter argued. However, things changed thereafter, which is where Shorter proposed a better love hypothesis when mothers learned to love properly, this bringing about declines in child mortality in the late 19th and much through the 20th century.&nbsp;

A classic example of this learning comes from the 1937 Danish Universal Home Visiting Programme, which, recent work in economics has shown, has long-term effects on improving infant health.

Meanwhile, in the US, Zelizer reminds us that what aided declines in infant mortality was the formation of the Children’s Bureau in Washington DC, and the leadership by bureau chief Julia Lathrop to result in the 1921 Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act (STMIA).

STMIA, which later on inspired the US Social Security Act of 1935, requested appropriations in the amount of $5,000 per state followed by an additional $1.5 million to be distributed annually thereafter as part of a federal matching grant programme.

States would use the one-time grant to design and set up programmes to educate women on prenatal health and the proper care of infants, and after that, any state funding would be matched dollar-for-dollar by federal funds provided under STMIA. The Children’s Bureau became the overseer and administrator of STMIA.

Interestingly, STMIA was opposed by the American Medical Association (but not by its sub-associates, the American Association of Pediatrics) and they were influential in finally removing the Act by 1929.&nbsp;

However, it had created an impact by the time it was gone, as a 2019 paper by Stanford and Harvard economists Marcella Alsan and Claudia Goldin shows.&nbsp;

They discuss that along with effective water and sewerage infrastructure diffusion in the US from that period, public health interventions like STMIA also played an important role in reducing infant mortality.&nbsp;

This is also supported by a book, Saving Babies: American Public Health Reform by Brown University historian Richard Meckel and also by economic research from Carolyn Moehling and Melissa Thomasson in a 2012 paper.

Are there lessons for India from the better love hypothesis, the Danish Universal Home Visiting programme and the 1921 US STMIA? The answer seems obvious. The country could do well to invest in a universal home visiting programme, also by forming a Children’s Bureau and the implementation of a top-down Maternity and Infancy Protection Act (a la the American Sheppard-Towner Act) with urgent priority.&nbsp;

A 2018 UN estimate reminded us that while infant mortality may have declined in India over time, among a cross-section of countries with 8,02,000 infants dying in 2017, India bested the list beating Nigeria at 4,66,000, Pakistan at 3,30,000 and the Democratic Republic of Congo at 2,33,000.&nbsp;

In fact, in Gorakhpur alone 25,000 children have lost their lives due to vaccine-preventable encephalitis over the last four decades.&nbsp;

This is more than a shame since India also has a very robust Universal Immunisation Programme and a vibrant domestic vaccine manufacturing sector to supplement its ever-expanding, but somehow low uptake-ridden Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programmes, where the latest venture in town is Ayushman Bharat.

Sure efforts on deepening rural electrification, sanitation and drinking water availability should continue, so should expenditure on public health increase.&nbsp;

Efforts should also continue on ramping up deployment of healthcare professionals per patient, or to encourage entrepreneurial efforts (like with the Economist awarded Embrace baby warmers or with infant biometric identity efforts like Infant-Prints, an infant ID system being created by Michigan State University and Saran Ashram Hospital, &nbsp;Agra’s researchers).

But the time for consolidating all these fragmented efforts with a mission driven top-down approach and an Indian Sheppard-Towner Act may have arrived. Only if society cares though, as Mandela pointed out. 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-paradigm-shift-is-needed-2764586">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats children. So said Nelson Mandela, and India’s latest episode of officially nearly 150 children dying in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, takes us back to these thoughts.

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats children. So said Nelson Mandela, and India’s latest episode of officially nearly 150 children dying in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, takes us back to these thoughts. As summer arrives every year, children in the Indo-Gangetic plain, especially from the most underprivileged, keep dying. No heads roll, shining India continues to aspire for a 2030 space station, bullet trains or hyperloops occasionally vetted by its multi-billion dollar sports economy adding to the sheen of that visceral celebration. Heart-wrenching it may be, but children, after all, are children, useless to societies rationally perhaps and dispensable, especially if they come from the poorest of the poor – thus they die. Such a hypothesis, surprisingly, is not just a skeptic’s rant, but actually has historical support. In a fascinating book Pricing the Priceless Child: The Changing Social Value of Children, Princeton sociologist Viviana A Zelizer, pointed out that in the Western world similar apathy was common place to the deaths of children between the 16th and 19th century. Among other points (related to the value of a child rising with participation in the labour force), Zelizer also cites the work by Edward Shorter, a University of Toronto historian of medicine, who discusses children in Europe being considered as a rational investment and hence their death not being mourned much through the 16th to the 19th century. Traditional mothers may not have cared much, Shorter argued. However, things changed thereafter, which is where Shorter proposed a better love hypothesis when mothers learned to love properly, this bringing about declines in child mortality in the late 19th and much through the 20th century. A classic example of this learning comes from the 1937 Danish Universal Home Visiting Programme, which, recent work in economics has shown, has long-term effects on improving infant health. Meanwhile, in the US, Zelizer reminds us that what aided declines in infant mortality was the formation of the Children’s Bureau in Washington DC, and the leadership by bureau chief Julia Lathrop to result in the 1921 Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act (STMIA). STMIA, which later on inspired the US Social Security Act of 1935, requested appropriations in the amount of $5,000 per state followed by an additional $1.5 million to be distributed annually thereafter as part of a federal matching grant programme. States would use the one-time grant to design and set up programmes to educate women on prenatal health and the proper care of infants, and after that, any state funding would be matched dollar-for-dollar by federal funds provided under STMIA. The Children’s Bureau became the overseer and administrator of STMIA. Interestingly, STMIA was opposed by the American Medical Association (but not by its sub-associates, the American Association of Pediatrics) and they were influential in finally removing the Act by 1929. However, it had created an impact by the time it was gone, as a 2019 paper by Stanford and Harvard economists Marcella Alsan and Claudia Goldin shows. They discuss that along with effective water and sewerage infrastructure diffusion in the US from that period, public health interventions like STMIA also played an important role in reducing infant mortality. This is also supported by a book, Saving Babies: American Public Health Reform by Brown University historian Richard Meckel and also by economic research from Carolyn Moehling and Melissa Thomasson in a 2012 paper. Are there lessons for India from the better love hypothesis, the Danish Universal Home Visiting programme and the 1921 US STMIA? The answer seems obvious. The country could do well to invest in a universal home visiting programme, also by forming a Children’s Bureau and the implementation of a top-down Maternity and Infancy Protection Act (a la the American Sheppard-Towner Act) with urgent priority. A 2018 UN estimate reminded us that while infant mortality may have declined in India over time, among a cross-section of countries with 8,02,000 infants dying in 2017, India bested the list beating Nigeria at 4,66,000, Pakistan at 3,30,000 and the Democratic Republic of Congo at 2,33,000. In fact, in Gorakhpur alone 25,000 children have lost their lives due to vaccine-preventable encephalitis over the last four decades. This is more than a shame since India also has a very robust Universal Immunisation Programme and a vibrant domestic vaccine manufacturing sector to supplement its ever-expanding, but somehow low uptake-ridden Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programmes, where the latest venture in town is Ayushman Bharat. Sure efforts on deepening rural electrification, sanitation and drinking water availability should continue, so should expenditure on public health increase. Efforts should also continue on ramping up deployment of healthcare professionals per patient, or to encourage entrepreneurial efforts (like with the Economist awarded Embrace baby warmers or with infant biometric identity efforts like Infant-Prints, an infant ID system being created by Michigan State University and Saran Ashram Hospital, Agra’s researchers). But the time for consolidating all these fragmented efforts with a mission driven top-down approach and an Indian Sheppard-Towner Act may have arrived. Only if society cares though, as Mandela pointed out. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Encephalitis deaths in Bihar: Paradigm shift is needed

A &nbsp;ban has been imposed on the practice of disposing unclaimed bodies at Bihar's Sri Krishna Medical College and Hosptial (SKMCH), which is battling with cases of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bihar-at-aes-epicentre-experts-count-reasons-families-rue-poverty-malnutrition-and-lack-of-awareness-229859">Acute Encephalitis Syndrome</a> (AES), news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;

Hundreds of human skeletal remains were discovered lying in open behind SKMCH hospital in Muzaffarpur district on Saturday.&nbsp;

Bihar health department has launched an investigation as a team of SKMCH hospital accompanied by policemen visited the spot.

"A stern action would be taken against those found guilty," ANI quoted Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manoj Kumar as saying.

Building Construction Minister in the government of Bihar, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bihar-probe-will-reveal-truth-behind-skeletal-remains-near-hospital-says-minister-ashok-chaudhary-229684">Ashok Chaudhary</a>, on Sunday said that media is projecting the issue of skeletons found near Muzaffarpur hospital in a way different from reality.

Chaudhary said, "Sometimes bodies have no claimants so the government gives Rs 2,000 to the postmortem department to burn the bodies, which they don't do many times. A probe will reveal the truth behind this and the media is projecting it differently."&nbsp;

When a hospital receives any dead body, it has to immediately contact the nearest police station and file a report in this connection.

The corpse has to be kept in the postmortem room for 72 hours after the report has been filed.

If no family member arrives for identification of the body within 72 hours, it is the duty of the postmortem department to bury or burn the body following the stipulated procedure.

The government-run SKMCH is currently grappling with an influx of cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bihar-death-toll-due-to-suspected-acute-encephalitis-rises-to-167-229867">death toll due to suspected AES rose to 167</a> on Monday with 110 case registered in Muzaffarpur's SKMCH hospital only.

A ban has been imposed on the practice of disposing unclaimed bodies at Bihar's Sri Krishna Medical College and Hosptial (SKMCH), which is battling with cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), news agency ANI reported.

A ban has been imposed on the practice of disposing unclaimed bodies at Bihar's Sri Krishna Medical College and Hosptial (SKMCH), which is battling with cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), news agency ANI reported. Hundreds of human skeletal remains were discovered lying in open behind SKMCH hospital in Muzaffarpur district on Saturday. Bihar health department has launched an investigation as a team of SKMCH hospital accompanied by policemen visited the spot. "A stern action would be taken against those found guilty," ANI quoted Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manoj Kumar as saying. Building Construction Minister in the government of Bihar, Ashok Chaudhary, on Sunday said that media is projecting the issue of skeletons found near Muzaffarpur hospital in a way different from reality. Chaudhary said, "Sometimes bodies have no claimants so the government gives Rs 2,000 to the postmortem department to burn the bodies, which they don't do many times. A probe will reveal the truth behind this and the media is projecting it differently." When a hospital receives any dead body, it has to immediately contact the nearest police station and file a report in this connection. The corpse has to be kept in the postmortem room for 72 hours after the report has been filed. If no family member arrives for identification of the body within 72 hours, it is the duty of the postmortem department to bury or burn the body following the stipulated procedure. The government-run SKMCH is currently grappling with an influx of cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). The death toll due to suspected AES rose to 167 on Monday with 110 case registered in Muzaffarpur's SKMCH hospital only.

Bihar: SSP Manoj Kumar imposes ban on disposing unclaimed bodies at SKMCH hospital

Chief Judicial Magistrate, Suryakant Tiwari of Bihar' Muzaffarpur district ordered an investigation against Union Health Minister Harshvardhan and Bihar health Minister Mangal Pandey on Monday in a case filed earlier against them alleging negligence leading to the death of over hundred children due to&nbsp;encephalitis outbreak.

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Bihar: Muzaffarpur Chief Judicial Magistrate, Suryakant Tiwari orders investigation against Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan&amp;Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey, in a case of negligence registered against them, in connection with deaths of children in Muzaffarpur due to AES <a href="https://t.co/343Uds6yQd">pic.twitter.com/343Uds6yQd</a>
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On June 20, a social worker Tamanna Hashmi had filed a case against Harsh Vardhan and Mangal Pandey. The petition alleged negligence in taking adequate steps to control the outbreak of AES.

"The death of children could have been minimised or prevented had the government taken steps to spread awareness about encephalitis when there was time. Being the Central and State minister for health, it is the responsibility of Harsh Vardhan and Mangal Pandey to spread awareness and prevent the area do the disease," news agency ANI quoted her as saying.

"A large number of children died due to negligence and lack of infrastructure to give them timely proper treatment", Hashmi added.

The case was filed under the 323, 308 and 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome is a viral disease, which causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions and headaches and has been claiming lives in the Bihar districts for the past few weeks.

The death toll reached 167, according to the statistics released by the health department on Monday.

In the worst affected district, Muzaffarpur, 130 children have died with 110 registered in government-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH). In Kejriwal hospital, 20 children have died due to the viral disease.

In Vaishali district, 19 children have died while in Samastipur, five children lost their lives. Other affected districts include Patna, Motihari, Begusarai, and Gopalgunj.

While the health experts have long been dumbfounded by the root of the encephalitis outbreak, commonly known as brain fever, in Bihar some have suggested that natural toxins in lychees could harm undernourished children by blocking their ability to produce enough blood sugar, which can lead to death. The link to the fruit, however, is inconclusive.

Chief Judicial Magistrate, Suryakant Tiwari of Bihar' Muzaffarpur district ordered an investigation against Union Health Minister Harshvardhan and Bihar health Minister Mangal Pandey on Monday in a case filed earlier against them alleging negligence leading to the death of over hundred children due to encephalitis outbreak.

Chief Judicial Magistrate, Suryakant Tiwari of Bihar' Muzaffarpur district ordered an investigation against Union Health Minister Harshvardhan and Bihar health Minister Mangal Pandey on Monday in a case filed earlier against them alleging negligence leading to the death of over hundred children due to encephalitis outbreak. Bihar: Muzaffarpur Chief Judicial Magistrate, Suryakant Tiwari orders investigation against Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan&Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey, in a case of negligence registered against them, in connection with deaths of children in Muzaffarpur due to AES pic.twitter.com/343Uds6yQd — ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2019 × On June 20, a social worker Tamanna Hashmi had filed a case against Harsh Vardhan and Mangal Pandey. The petition alleged negligence in taking adequate steps to control the outbreak of AES. "The death of children could have been minimised or prevented had the government taken steps to spread awareness about encephalitis when there was time. Being the Central and State minister for health, it is the responsibility of Harsh Vardhan and Mangal Pandey to spread awareness and prevent the area do the disease," news agency ANI quoted her as saying. "A large number of children died due to negligence and lack of infrastructure to give them timely proper treatment", Hashmi added. The case was filed under the 323, 308 and 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Acute Encephalitis Syndrome is a viral disease, which causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions and headaches and has been claiming lives in the Bihar districts for the past few weeks. The death toll reached 167, according to the statistics released by the health department on Monday. In the worst affected district, Muzaffarpur, 130 children have died with 110 registered in government-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH). In Kejriwal hospital, 20 children have died due to the viral disease. In Vaishali district, 19 children have died while in Samastipur, five children lost their lives. Other affected districts include Patna, Motihari, Begusarai, and Gopalgunj. While the health experts have long been dumbfounded by the root of the encephalitis outbreak, commonly known as brain fever, in Bihar some have suggested that natural toxins in lychees could harm undernourished children by blocking their ability to produce enough blood sugar, which can lead to death. The link to the fruit, however, is inconclusive.

Bihar encephalitis deaths: Harsh Vardhan, Mangal Pandey face inquiry over negligence

To accommodate the rising number of encephalitis patients, Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzfafarpur has converted prisoners' ward into an ICU, reported news agency ANI.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who visited the hospital on Tuesday, had instructed the hospital management to convert the prisoners' ward into an ICU to meet the acute crisis of beds.

Encephalitis has claimed lives of over 120 children in Muzaffarpur district. The chief minister has announced an ex gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the children who died due to encephalitis.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea next Monday, seeking a direction to the Centre to urgently constitute a team of medical experts for the treatment of the children in Muzaffarpur. 
 
The petition, filed by advocate Manohar Pratap, has sought a direction to the Centre for constituting a board of experts in the medical field and immediately sending it to the place of the outbreak i.e. Muzaffarpur, to review and assist the emergency situation and provide all necessary medical equipment for the effective treatment of the children. 
 
On Sunday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan 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. He also held a meeting with senior officials and doctors. 
 
"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 said. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

To accommodate the rising number of encephalitis patients, Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzfafarpur has converted prisoners' ward into an ICU, reported news agency ANI.

To accommodate the rising number of encephalitis patients, Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzfafarpur has converted prisoners' ward into an ICU, reported news agency ANI. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who visited the hospital on Tuesday, had instructed the hospital management to convert the prisoners' ward into an ICU to meet the acute crisis of beds. Encephalitis has claimed lives of over 120 children in Muzaffarpur district. The chief minister has announced an ex gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the children who died due to encephalitis. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea next Monday, seeking a direction to the Centre to urgently constitute a team of medical experts for the treatment of the children in Muzaffarpur. The petition, filed by advocate Manohar Pratap, has sought a direction to the Centre for constituting a board of experts in the medical field and immediately sending it to the place of the outbreak i.e. Muzaffarpur, to review and assist the emergency situation and provide all necessary medical equipment for the effective treatment of the children. On Sunday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan 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. He also held a meeting with senior officials and doctors. "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 said. (With inputs from agencies)

Encephalitis outbreak in Bihar: Muzaffarpur hospital converts prisoners' ward into ICU to accommodate more children

The death toll of children due to suspected <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bihar-deputy-cm-sushil-modi-refuses-to-answer-questions-on-deaths-due-to-encephalitis-in-conference-228669">Acute Encephalitis Syndrome</a> (AES) in Bihar reached 128 on Sunday, news agency ANI reported citing Bihar Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome is a viral disease, which causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions and headaches and has been claiming lives in the Bihar districts for the past few weeks.

While the health experts have long been dumbfounded by the root of the encephalitis outbreak, commonly known as brain fever, in Bihar some have suggested that natural toxins in lychees could harm undernourished children by blocking their ability to produce enough blood sugar, which can lead to death.&nbsp;

The link to the fruit, however, is inconclusive, said Alok Ghosh, the Muzaffarpur district magistrate, who said that in about half of the known cases of encephalitis, the children had not consumed lychees, news agency Reuters reported.

But as a heat wave sweeps India, dehydration is also said to be a reason for the Encephalitis outbreak.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea seeking a direction to the Centre to urgently constitute a team of medical experts for the treatment of the children in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, who are suffering from AES.

A vacation bench of justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant will hear the plea next Monday after the petitioner's counsel sought an urgent listing of the matter.

The plea also sought a direction to the Centre for providing all necessary medical equipment and other supports for the effective treatment of the children suffering from the epidemic disease.

The death toll of children due to suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar reached 128 on Sunday, news agency ANI reported citing Bihar Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

The death toll of children due to suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar reached 128 on Sunday, news agency ANI reported citing Bihar Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme. Acute Encephalitis Syndrome is a viral disease, which causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions and headaches and has been claiming lives in the Bihar districts for the past few weeks. While the health experts have long been dumbfounded by the root of the encephalitis outbreak, commonly known as brain fever, in Bihar some have suggested that natural toxins in lychees could harm undernourished children by blocking their ability to produce enough blood sugar, which can lead to death. The link to the fruit, however, is inconclusive, said Alok Ghosh, the Muzaffarpur district magistrate, who said that in about half of the known cases of encephalitis, the children had not consumed lychees, news agency Reuters reported. But as a heat wave sweeps India, dehydration is also said to be a reason for the Encephalitis outbreak. Meanwhile, Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea seeking a direction to the Centre to urgently constitute a team of medical experts for the treatment of the children in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, who are suffering from AES. A vacation bench of justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant will hear the plea next Monday after the petitioner's counsel sought an urgent listing of the matter. The plea also sought a direction to the Centre for providing all necessary medical equipment and other supports for the effective treatment of the children suffering from the epidemic disease.

Bihar: Death toll due to suspected acute encephalitis rises to 128