Encephalitis kills 92 children in Bihar

The dreaded encephalitis, a mosquito-borne disease, has killed 92 children, mostly Mahadalits, while more than half a dozen are still fighting for their life in Bihar's Gaya district, state health officials said on Thursday.

"Three more children died due to encephalitis in last 24 hours," Anugrah Narain Medical College and Hospital paediatrics head A K Ravi said.

All the children died at ANMCH in Gaya, about 100 km from Patna.

"With death of three children in the last twenty four hours and four children in the past few days, the death toll has risen to 92," Ravi 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.

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