UP: 15 more kids die of encephalitis, toll reaches 271

With the death of nine children on Thursday, as many as 15 more kids have succumbed due to encephalitis during the past three days.

With this, the toll in the region this year due to the disease has risen to 271, health officials said. While six children died on Tuesday, nine others succumbed on Thursday, they said, adding that the victims belonged to Gorakhpur and its adjoining districts of Kushinagar, Siddharthanagar and Sant Kabirnagar

Seventy-one new patients with symptoms of Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome were admitted to the BRDMedicalCollege and other government hospitals in past two days, they said.

At present, 184 patients are undergoing treatment at various government hospitals in the region, they said. Around 1,272 patients had been treated in the region since January this year and of them, 65 were found positive for Japanese Encephalitis, and the remaining for Acute Encephalitis Syndrome.

Meanwhile, a team of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, which had met patients at the hospital wards over a week back, identified malnutrition and contaminated drinking water as major causes for spread of the disease.

The commission had issued instructions to provide compensations to the victims and ensure availability of safe drinking water in the affected areas.

The health department has intensified efforts to fight the disease and is offering necessary help to patients. Death and disability certificates are being issued and India mark-II hand-pumps are being re-bored in the region, officials said.