Bihar: AES claims another life at Muzaffarpur hospital

PATNA: A five-year-old boy, Ankit, died of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) at the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzaffarpur on Wednesday evening, taking this year’s death toll to 12.
According to sources, the minor, who was a resident of Bariyarpur village under Riga block in Sitamarhi district, breathed his last in the paediatric intensive care unit of the SKMCH after struggling for life for four consecutive days.He had been put on ventilator support ever since he was admitted to the hospital for treatment.
With this, Sitamarhi district alone has lost three children due to AES since January this year. Saloni Kumari (12), a resident of East Champaran district, had died last week.
Confirming Ankit’s death, the superintendent of the SKMCH, Dr B S Jha, told this reporter on Thursday that the doctors had tried their best to save the child, but “he was brought to the hospital in a critical condition on July 24”.
He attributed the sudden rise in AES cases to high temperature coupled with humidity and laid stress on the need to create awareness among the people.
A health bulletin released by the Muzaffarpur district administration stated that altogether 57 children had been infected with AES since January, 2021. Muzaffarpur topped the list with 26 cases, followed by Sitamarhi (9), Vaishali (8), East Champaran (7), Sheohar (3), West Champaran (2), Samastipur (1), and Madhepura (1). The deceased belonged to Muzaffarpur (3), Sitamarhi (3), Sheohar (2), East Champaran (2), West Champaran (1), and Vaishali (1) districts.
The officials of the health department, however, claimed that the casualty was far less this time due to the occurrence of rainfall in the affected region on regular intervals and the awareness campaigns launched by the authorities concerned.