100 children dead and 291 others hospitalized as encephalitis sweeps through India

At least 100 kids died of encephalitis in the eastern state of Bihar in India, where health officials are struggling with a rise in disease instances that cause the brain to swell.

Encephalitis is a viral infection-caused inflammation of the brain.

During summer and rainy seasons between June and October, the risk of the disease rises.

The fatalities, reported since early June, happened mostly in the district of Muzaffarpur, deemed the outbreak’s epicenter, said Senior Secretary of Health Sanjay Kumar.

“Eighty-three children died in the state-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffapur,’’ hospital Superintendent Sunil Kumar Shahi said.

He said another 17 kids had died in the city’s private hospital.

Mr Shahi said all the victims were kids under 7 years of age.

Some 291 additional kids were admitted to hospital from Muzaffarpur and neighboring districts, he added.

The amount of fatalities has increased over the previous few days as on Friday the toll was set at 67.

Mr Kumar said that there may be various reasons for the encephalitis epidemic.

Some health authorities quoted hypoglycaemia as the primary cause of death, a disease triggered by very low blood sugar levels and electrolyte imbalance.

Health professionals suspect that fatalities are associated with toxins in lychee fruits that were identified in patient urine samples, local media indicated.

Children with low concentrations of blood sugar induced by malnutrition may develop encephalitis after eating large amounts of the fruit cultivated in the area.

The Japanese encephalitis virus is the country’s most frequent cause of encephalitis syndrome, causing up to 35% of instances, the reports said.