Encephalitis kills 85 children in Bihar's Gaya district

Patna high court takes up PIL; directs state government to file reply within two weeks on the steps taken to counter the disease. M I Khan reports.

Encephalitis, a mosquito-borne disease, has killed 85 children, mostly Mahadalits, while more than a dozen are still fighting for their life in Bihar's Gaya district, health officials said on Thursday.

All the children died at Anugrah Narain Medical College and Hospital (ANMCH) in Gaya, about 100 km from Patna.

Taking cognisance of a PIL, the Patna high court on Tuesday directed the state government to file a reply within two weeks on the steps being taken to counter the disease.

The disease has killed nearly half a dozen children in the last one week. "With death of two children in the last twenty four hours and four children in the past four days, the death toll has risen to 85," Ajay Kishor Ravi, who heads the hospital's children's department, said.

However, state Health Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey said that health officials have been directed to take necessary measures in this regard.

Health secretary Sanay Kumar, who visited the hospital recently, said that it was

unfortunate that a large number of children died due of encephalitis. "The health department is serious about it," he said.

According to health officials, the disease started claiming lives of children since August 23. Superintendent of ANMCH, Sitaram Prasad, said that the government had employed several medical teams to control the disease. He said that more than 384 children with suspected encephalitis were admitted for treatment.

"Some children are still battling for life as their condition remains critical. However, some are showing signs of improvement," he said.

Prasad said those children who died mostly belonged to the poorest families in Gaya and its neighbouring districts.

A district administration official said that encephalitis hit Gaya in 2009, 2007 and 2005, and killed dozens of children.

With more than 60 samples of brain fever cases having tested positive in last the one-and-half-months, the disease has been the reason of lot of worry at the Patna Medical College and Hospital. Three people reportedly died due to the disease.

Three months ago 51 children died in Muzaffarpur district but the state government is yet to confirm these as encephalitis deaths.