Encephalitis toll rises to 73 in Bihar; Harsh Vardhan to review situation

Muzaffarpur, June 15: In Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, the death toll due to viral infection Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has reached 73 on Saturday.

A total of 55 patients died at Shri Krishna Medical College while 11 of them died in private Kejriwal hospital in Muzaffarpur. Till now over 130 have been hospitalised in the district.

The Muzaffarpur district administration had issued a statement on Friday evening saying that six children died in the state-run SKMCH hospital while three died at Kejriwal hospital, which is operated by a trust.

The Muzaffarpur district of Bihar is among the worst hit by the outbreak of brain fever.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan will visit Muzaffarpur tomorrow, to review the situation prevailing in the region.

Encephalitis, or Japanese encephalitis (JE), is a vector-borne viral infection that leads to acute inflammation (swelling) of the brain. If not spread through vectors, encephalitis could be a result of body's immune system attacking brain tissues.

Encephalitis causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions and headaches and has been claiming lives in the district for the past few weeks.