Shocking! After 173 deaths, people in Bihar still unaware of AES!

Nearly 173 children lost their lives due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome and there are still places in Bihar where people are not aware of this disease as no government health department visited the village nor any awareness campaign was ever conducted in those area.

Bettiah: Even after the death toll due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has touched 173 in Bihar's Muzaffarpur and other nearby districts, people of Chainpur village of West Champaran are ignorant of AES.

Talking to ETV Bharat, the villagers confirmed that no government health department visited the village nor any awareness campaign was ever conducted.

On June 15, Bhagirathi Sah, a local lost his daughter due to AES which triggered panic among the villagers. Surprisingly, the cause of her death was unknown to them.

However, when ETV Bharat reached MJK hospital, Dr Arun Kumar Sinha said that the government is spreading awareness through newspapers and public awareness campaigns.

"We are conducting surveys and collecting cases which are related to AES from the nearby places. A special ward has been allotted for AES cases where proper care and other facilities are available," Dr Sinha added.

Earlier, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had visited the state to take stock of the situation and review measures taken in the wake of the outbreak.

AES is a viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms such as high fever, vomiting and in extreme cases, brain dysfunction, seizure and inflammation of heart and kidney.