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Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister, on Saturday said that the Central Government will provide all possible facilities and help to Bihar in controlling the encephalitis outbreak. As per the official records, acute encephalitis syndrome attacking Bihar has claimed nearly 130 lives of children till date. The health Minister while visiting the state's worst-hit Muzaffarpur district hospitals said 'The Central Government will be assisting the State Government in all possible ways to save the lives of children and to control the progressing disease.'
A district health official said that Harsh Vardhan is probably the first union health minister who has visited suspected encephalitis-hit Muzaffarpur in the last one and a half decades. He said that the Minister met children who were undergoing the treatment for encephalitis in hospitals and also their parents. He also spoke to the doctors treating the kids. (Read: Bihar encephalitis update: Parents now pray for a miracle)
'Harsh Vardhan directed the concerned health officials, including doctors, to give the affected children proper treatment,' Muzaffarpur civil surgeon Gayan Bhusan said. Vardhan is camping in Muzaffarpur Saturday night to hold discussions with officials and teams of health experts from abroad and across the country. He said the central government would Sunday launch a campaign to ensure 100 percent immunization of children in states hit by a suspected encephalitis outbreak. 'Now, my priority is to ensure 100 percent immunization of children in encephalitis affected areas. I will launch this campaign from Muzaffarpur,' he told reporters. (Read: Bihar encephalitis update: 100 per cent children should be immunized, says Dr Harshvardhan)
He admitted that malnourished and poverty-stricken children are easy victims of the disease. 'It is a dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get rid of malnutrition and poverty soon,' he said. In the past three weeks, the suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has claimed the lives of 130 children in Bihar, mostly in Muzaffarpur. The union minister said Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has requested him to launch the initiative to check the disease. The centre was serious about tackling the situation, he added. (Read: Bihar to have its 1st encephalitis immunization campaign)
The disease, limited to Muzaffarpur till last week, has now spread to Vaishali, Samastipur, Sheohar, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Begusarai, Bhagalpur and Gaya districts of the state. According to doctors, the AES is a severe case of encephalitis characterised by inflammation of the brain. Mosquitoes transmit the infection, causing high fever among the children.
What is encephalitis?
Encephalitis is a disease that results in inflammation of the brain. The patient's central nervous system is affected. While the lesser symptoms include headaches and fevers, the more severe ones cause the onset of mental issues like seizures, confusion, disorientation, tremors and hallucinations. It can be caused due to bacterial or viral infections of the brain, injection of toxic substances or increased complications of an infectious disease. (Read:Disease trends in India)
With inputs from IANS
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