Union Health Min holds talk with AIIMS, RMRI officers to curb AES outbreak

Union Health Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey on Sunday held a meeting here with officers of AIIMS hospital and Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRI) to review the steps taken to control the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

Many doctors, renowned pediatricians and the heads of various departments attended the meeting.

In the meeting, discussions were held on the investigation and research conducted by the Central Medical Team (CMT) formed to deal with the outbreak of deadly AES disease in Bihar. After discussing the issue with the concerned authorities, the Union Health Minister asked officials to take effective steps to prevent the disease.

The experts informed the Union Minister that CMT also went to Muzaffarpur and adopted modern methods of investigation and research to curb the spread of AES. All modern machines were brought from Patna and Delhi to check-up patients with diseases like biochem, ammonia estimation, liver incorporation, muscular incorporation, hepatic, brine, sugar, etc to see if there is the possibility of Japanese encephalitis in them.

A sample of syrup, a piece of mussels and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of affected children was sent to all the major test institutes in the country. Later, it was found that the main reason for the disease was heat stroke and nutritious food. The children who were most affected by the disease falls in the age group of 3 to 4 years.

"Plans have been made to provide the further establishment of ICU, availability of sufficient quantity of glucose, ORS, providing meals and temporary stay for children in shelter homes," Choubey said.

In addition, there was also a discussion about the prevention of diseases spread in the rainy season. The central government and the Bihar government are very serious in this matter and keeping an eye on the situation, an official statement read.