Vardhan assures all support to Bihar for containment, management of AES

Expressing concern over the death of children in Bihar due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), Union Heath Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday assured all support to the state for containment and management of the disease.

During a video conference with Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey, Vardhan took stock of AES situation in the state from the functionaries at grass-root level, a health ministry statement said.

He exhorted all to ensure that AES cases are not neglected or eclipsed by the COVID outbreak, it stated.

As on April 28, fourteen children with AES have been admitted to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Bihar's Muzaffarnagar. Of them, eight have recovered and three are undergoing treatment at the pediatric intensive care unit of the hospital. The rest have died.

Children afflicted with AES often tend to develop hypoglycemia which leads to a sudden drop in glucose level. The disease has been arguably linked to consumption of unripe litchis -- grown in abundance in north Bihar.

"It is painful to know that in a particular time during summer, from May 15 to June, there is always a hike in the rate of death of children due to AES in Bihar," the Union Health Ministry stated.

Vardhan stressed that with proper interventions at multiple levels and timely care, these deaths can be prevented.

"The fight against the AES is an old one and we know it quite well. The issue is to take preventive, pre-emptive and comprehensive measures to prevent it through a systematic approach," he said.

According to the statement, Vardhan asked the state authorities to constitute a committee of experts to keep a round-the-clock surveillance in affected areas and suggest timely preventive action. He further said that with such approach the spike in AES cases can be contained.

"The Health Ministry would provide full support and handholding to the state government through National Health Mission (NHM) for strengthening health systems. Other ministries of the central government, including the Ministry of Women and Child Development, would be requested to provide support as part of immediate and long-term measures," he said.

Vardhan stressed on the immediate need for constituting an inter-disciplinary high-level team of experts drawn from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), AIIMS, Patna, Child Health Division of the Union Health Ministry to guide policy interventions and support Bihar in containing the cases of AES and Japanese Encephalitis.

"We have to ensure that new pediatric ICUs are immediately made functional for such illness, adequate medical facilities with at least 10 bedded pediatric ICUs in nearby districts are provided and ambulance services are made available between 10 pm and 8 am when most of the children develop symptoms of AES such as fever, seizures and altered sensorium," he said.