Muzzafarpur Encephalitis outbreak: 14 kids dead, several hospitalised

In a suspected outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, at least 14 children have died and several have been hospitalised carrying symptoms of the infection.

Muzaffarpur (Bihar): At least 14 children have died over the past one week in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district following a suspected outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis (JE), while over a dozen are admitted in hospitals with high fever and other symptoms of the infection.

Some 21 children were admitted at the Shri Krishna Memorial College Hospital (SKMCH) and 14 were admitted at Kejriwal Hospital on Friday.

More details are awaited.

The outbreak of both the infections is a routine in areas in and around Muzaffarpur during the summer months. The epidemic mostly affects children from poor families below 15 years of age.

In 2015 alone, as many as 42 children had died of AES in a fortnight in Muzaffarpur.