20 children die, 36 affected from 'mysterious' illness

State health department principal secretary Amarjit Sinha told reporters here that those afflicted do not bear symptoms of Japanese Encephalitis.

"I don't think any of them is affected by Japanese Encephalitis," he said while citing a Pune-based lab and MRI reports of the patients.

20 deaths -- nine children in Gaya and eleven children in Muzaffarpur -- had occurred in the past fortnight due to the disease, he said.

A total of 36 children were still admitted in Muzaffarpur (31) and Gaya (5) with symptoms that include high fever and convulsions, he added.

An action plan had already been formulated to tackle the disease and take precautionary measures, he said.

It has been ensured that the primary health centres in the two districts have the necessary medical facilities for treating the children.