Brain fever deaths climb to 111 in Bihar; protests meet CM on his hospital visit

PATNA/NEW DELHI: Public anger against state administration over rising number of brain fever deaths in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur became palpable on Tuesday when hundreds of angry protesters lined up to meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on his visit to the district.

People shout slogans against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during his visit to Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) to review the situation prevailing due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur on Tuesday. PTI photo

Tribune News Service

Patna/New Delhi, June 18

Public anger against state administration over rising number of brain fever deaths in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur became palpable on Tuesday when hundreds of angry protesters lined up to meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on his visit to the district hospitals.

Some 111 children have so far died of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). When the chief minister visited the state-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) with his deputy, Sushil Kumar Modi, locals lined up on the streets outside to protest poor healthcare services in district with solans of “Chief Minister wapas jao (Go back Chief Minister)".

Kumar and his deputy visited children admitted at the hospital as well as their parents and left without stopping to acknowledge the protesters. The chief minister will hold a review meeting with the doctors and health officials later in the day to take stock of the situation.

Of the 107 victims, 88 died at SKMCH and 19 at the private Kejriwal Hospital. In both the hospitals, over 100 seriously ill children with symptoms of AES are undergoing treatment.

However, unofficial deaths due the disease are said to be over 100 as some children died in villages before being hospitalised.

On Sunday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan visited SKMCH to review the situation.

Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain, caused by any one of a number of viruses. Symptoms include high fever, vomiting and, in severe cases, seizures, paralysis and coma.

PIL

A Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court has asked for Centre’s intervention in the alarming public health crisis caused by an outbreak of brain fever in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur.

Suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome has so far claimed 107 children’s lives in the state, as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government scrambles to deal with the health crisis.

The PIL, filed by advocate Manohar Pratap, asks the court for a direction to the Centre to provide necessary medical assistance and support for treating disease inflicted-children. The petitioner also demanded compensation of Rs 10 lakh to surviving members of the family of each child who died due to negligence of the state machinery.

Pratap claimed he was deeply pained and saddened by the deaths of children, most of who were under 10, in the last one week and the figures were rising day-by-day.

"The deaths of children are a direct result of negligence and inaction on the part of the respective state governments of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Union of India in handling the epidemical situation which arises every year due to outbreak of AES also called Japanese encephalitis," the plea alleged.

“This year… the epicenter of the said disease is Muzaffarpur in Bihar where more than 126 children have lost their lives in past one week. Media reports shows that there is acute shortage of doctors, medical facilities, intensive care units and other medical equipments in the hospitals in nearby areas and children are dying in hospitals due to lack of required facilities," the petition said. With agencies