One more AES death in Muzaffarpur pushes Bihar toll this year to four

A three-year old girl died of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) at the Sri Krishna Medical College Hospital (SKMCH) in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district Tuesday evening, hospital officials said.

A three-year old girl died of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) at the Sri Krishna Medical College Hospital (SKMCH) in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district Tuesday evening, hospital officials said.

Children suffering from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) undergoing treatment atSKMCH in Muzaffarpur on June 2019. (HT Archives)

The total number of deaths in the state due to Japanese encephalitis (JE) and AES, which is a cluster of diseases, involving the brain, had now gone up to four this year. Of these, three were known cases of AES and one of JE. A death each has been reported from Sitamarhi, Vaishali, Patna and Muzaffarpur district, said state health officials.

SKMCH superintendent Dr Babu Saheb Jha confirmed that the child, identified as Shivani Kumari, died of AES on May 31 hours after she was brought there from Kanti, 16 kilometres from Muzaffarpur.

The state government has tied up at least two vehicles per panchayat under the chief minister’s rural transportation scheme and allows reimbursement of fare between ₹400 and ₹1,000 to transport AES children to the nearest health facility by any mode of transport, even if it was a private vehicle.

Till May 31 this year, the SKMCH has reported 45 admissions of children suffering from AES, of which 41 have been cured and discharged, three died and one left against medical advice.

Bihar, till May 30, had reported 56 cases of AES/JE across its 12 AES-endemic districts, of which 28 were from Muzaffarpur, seven from East Champaran, five from Sitamarhi, four from Saran, three from Vaishali, two each from Patna and West Champaran and one each from Araria, Jehanabad, Khagaria, Samastipur and Jamui.