7 more die from AES in Bihar, Bhagalpur reports 3 deaths

MUZAFFARPUR/BHAGALPUR: With the deaths of seven more kids in the state, the acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) toll on Wednesday went up to 121 on Friday. Of the seven deaths, three were reported from Bhagalpur and the rest occurred in AES epicentre Muzaffarpur.
Even as the death count continued to rise, a TOI front page report on Thursday highlighting the poor state of public health centres (PHCs) in Muzaffarpur prompted the executive director of Bihar State Health Society, Manoj Kumar, visited various PHCs in the district to take stock of the facilities, including availability of doctors and other staff.
Kumar expressed satisfaction over the facilities available at the PHCs, but pulled up doctors posted at the Meenapur community health centre and warned them of action if they failed to carry out their responsibilities.
While visiting the Meenapur CHC, he directed the medical officer to ensure that not a single patient should reach SKMCH in Muzaffarpur without being referred by the local hospital.
“Search to find kids afflicted with AES must be intensified with the help of Asha, Aanganwadi and Jeevika workers. Assistance of non-governmental organisations, working in the field of healthcare can also be taken taken,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, Muzaffarpur DM Alok Ranjan Ghosh on Thursday evening issued a medical bulletin informing the deaths of three more children at the SKMCH and one at Kejriwal Matri Sadan.
“Three deaths at SKMCH have raised the AES death toll to 98 — another child died at the privately-run Kejriwal hospital, where the total number of casualties have reached 20. Altogether 552 children have been admitted to the hospitals so far, out of which 178 are still undergoing treatment,” the medical bulleting said.
At Bhagalpur, R C Mandal, medical superintendent at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital confirmed the three deaths due to AES and said one child was undergoing treatment at the ICU.
“We have geared up our resources at JLNMCH. Altogether 30 beds in the air-conditioned ICU, NICU and PICU have been reserved for AES patients,” Mandal said.
Bhagalpur civil surgeon Vijay Kumar Singh said leaves of doctors and paramedics at sub-divisional hospitals, PHCs and referral hospitals have been cancelled in the backdrop of AES deaths.