Patients and their kin suffer as AES death toll in Bihar touches 93

Image Source : PTI
Woman carrying a child showing symptoms of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) arrives at SKMCH for treatment

With eleven more child dying of suspected AES in Muzaffarpur on Sunday morning, the death toll of children in the district rose to 93 this month.

The relatives of the patients at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital have been facing lot of problems including water. There are just two water outlet which is not enough for the patients and their attendees.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed his grief over the children's death in Muzaffarpur and ordered payment of Rs four lakh as ex-gratia to the next of the kin of the deceased, an official release said.

He also directed the officials of the Health department and the district administration as well as doctors to take all possible measures to tackle the disease. The chief minister prayed for a speedy recovery of the children suffering from suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

A press release issued by the Muzaffarpur district administration said till now 93 children had died at the state-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) and the Kejriwal Hospital, which was run by a trust.

Officials, however, maintained that a majority of the victims, most of whom were below 10 years of age, had fallen prey to hypoglycemia, a condition caused by a very low level of blood sugar and electrolyte imbalance.

Since June 1, 197 children were admitted to the SKMCH while 91 were taken to Kejriwal Hospital with suspected AES, but most of them were found to be victims of hypoglycemia.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is scheduled to visit Muzaffarpur on Sunday to take stock of the situation. He will hold meetings with doctors and officials of both the central and state governments.