Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) is a viral disease that causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions and headaches.
PATNA: The death toll due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has risen to 100 in Bihar on Monday.The cause of death in most this year has been attributed to hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar level).
More than 290 children are still admitted in the ICU of the Sri Krishna Medical College. Severe heatwave-like conditions have worsened the situation, with 32 people across the state losing their lives due to heatstroke.
State government officials, however, maintained that majority of the victims had died due to hypoglycemia, a condition caused by extremely low level of blood sugar and electrolyte imbalance.
Union Home Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday visited Shree Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), one of the two hospitals where the children have been admitted, to take stock of the situation.Patients’ relatives complained to the Union Health Minister about the lack of facilities and ill-response from doctors and nurses.
Vardhan asked health officials to expedite and complete the super specialty block of the SKMCH, so that other departments of the facility could extend help and cooperation in tackling with the disease.He met Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the deaths and announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia to the next of the kin of the deceased, an official release said.
