Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's hospital visit marred by protest

After days of public uproar over the death of around 100 children due to AES in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited one of the hospitals on Tuesday. His visit was marred by a protest by the local residents at the venue. The Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) is locally called the 'Chamki' fever and has affected children in the age group of 1-10.

Muzaffarpur: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's visit to Sri Krishna Medical College (SKMC), where over 89 children died due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in last two weeks, was marred by a series of protests by the local residents, who expressed their dissent via intense sloganeering.

This led to mild tensions at the venue and the police officials had a tough time controlling the crowd. CM Nitish Kumar, earlier in the day, visited the facility to review the prevailing situation. It was, however, followed a demonstration by the local residents, who thronged in large numbers to the venue.

It may be recalled that, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had visited the patients on Sunday and assured their families of all possible help from the Centre.

The death toll rose to 148 in Muzaffarpur and the adjoining districts in Bihar.

The Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) is locally called the 'Chamki' fever and has affected children in the age group of 1-10.

While doctors have maintained that the deaths occurred due to AES, state officials claimed that most of the victims, below the age of 10, have died due to hypoglycemia -- a condition caused by a low level of blood sugar, electrolyte imbalance due to high temperature and extreme humidity.