Amid the raging coronavirus pandemic, cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), also known as ‘Chamki fever’, have been detected in districts of north Bihar. On Tuesday, three children were admitted to the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) at Muzaffarpur after AES symptoms.
Gopal Shankar Sahani, a child specialist at SKMCH Muzaffarpur, said three children were admitted to the hospital with suspected AES.
The victims include Sonakshi (3) of Vaishali district, Ria (7) of Sitamarhi district, and Piyush Raj (6) of Motihari.
“These children are suffering from heatstroke and have a deficiency of sodium and glucose. Piyush Raj is in critical condition,” Sahani said.
“We already have 6 children having symptoms of AES admitted in the hospital,” Sahani added.
Many children in north Bihar below 10 years in age, suffer from AES during the summer season every year. At present, the temperature in north Bihar is nearly 39 degrees Celsius with 25 to 30 percent humidity.
“If humidity reaches 50 to 60 percent and the temperature remains nearly 40 degree Celsius, more cases of AES would appear in districts of north Bihar. It severely affects humans, especially children suffering from malnutrition,” Sahani said.
