An outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Araria district of Bihar has claimed the lives of eight children over the past six weeks.
The outbreak came after the disease killed over 130 children and affected over 700 of them in Muzaffarpur and its adjacent districts in north Bihar in May and June this year.
Araria Civil Surgeon Dr B K Thakur said, "All deaths due to AES have been recorded in the district between August 12 and September 24. We have no information of any other child being affected by the disease after that."
All children who died due to AES are in the age group of one to seven years and they belonged to families who live in the rural areas of Araria, and are not financially well-off.
The Civil Surgeon said intensive vaccination drive was being conducted in the affected areas of the districts and the disease seemed to be under control now.
AES has become an annual phenomenon during the pre-monsoon summer season in north Bihar districts. Scientists and researchers have so far been unable to identify the cause of the disease.
In absence of the identification of virus, bacteria or any other agent that causes this deadly disease which has a death rate of 26 per cent, doctors at their best could only provide symptomatic treatment to the patients.
