‘AES death toll may surge if heatwave condition persists in Bihar'

PATNA: The death toll due to suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) may go up in the days to come as there seems to be no let-up in the high temperature and humidity.
The doctors attending on the affected children at the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) are apprehending that more children may fall prey to the deadly disease if the monsoon got delayed and heatwave condition continued. Altogether 20 children died during the past 24 hours taking death toll up to 93 since January this year.
Dr G S Sahni, head of the paediatrics department of the SKMCH, said the mortality rate would reduce once the rainy season starts. “But there seems to be no let-up in the high temperature coupled with humidity, which is fatal for the vulnerable kids,” he said, adding that the doctors were making all-out efforts to save the lives of the children.
Muzaffarpur civil surgeon Dr SP Singh also corroborated Dr Sahni’s contention. “There will be no respite unless and until the rainy season starts,” he told this newspaper over phone from Muzaffarpur on Sunday.
The normal temperature varied between 43 degrees C and 46 degrees C in the last two days.
Even state health minister Mangal Pandey, who accompanied Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to Muzaffarpur today, agreed with the two doctors’ views. The highest casualty of the children was recorded in 2012 when around 400 children had died. In 2013, the number of casualties reduced to around 350 followed by around 300 in 2014. In 2017 and 2018, the death toll was negligible.
The situation became so alarming in 2014 that Dr Harsh Vardhan as the Union health minister had visited Muzaffarpur. Researches were carried out and medical experts from different places, including Atlanta, were assigned the task. However, the medical experts have so far not found the exact cause of this disease.