The health department is gearing up to fight the acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) menace in seven districts of North Bihar - Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, West Champaran, Samastipur, Sitamarhi, Vaishali and Sheohar.

The executive director of the State Health Society, Jitendra Srivastava, told The Telegraph that district magistrates and civil surgeons of the seven districts have been asked to keep basic facilities ready in all primary health centres that fall under their jurisdictions.

The Health Society issued a fresh protocol to treat suspected cases and field officials have been asked to adhere to it.

Civil surgeons have been asked to ensure availability of required equipment in the public health centres and hospitals to properly monitor all such cases. AES cases usually surge in summer.

The district administration has taken steps to equip all primary health centres with necessary medical facilities to handle AES cases before referring them to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital and Kejriwal Maternity Clinic in Muzaffarpur for specialised treatments.

Ambulances will also be made available in the primary health centres to tackle the menace. There will be at least two ambulances with all the public health centres to ferry ailing children.

More than 90 doctors will be deputed in Muzaffarpur and the adjoining districts as well. According to statistics available with the health department, 1,712 people have died in these districts in the past 24 years, with a total of 5,617 reported cases after being affected by AES.

Nine lakh pamphlets have been published with several guidelines, including consuming pure drinking water, eating something sweet before going to bed, maintaining a healthy diet, etc. and distributed among residents of 600 villages in Mushari, Minapur, Kanti, Bochahan, Saraiya, Sahebganj, Hathori, Motipur, Sakra and Gaighat blocks.

SKMCH superintendent G.K. Thakur said the state government had made necessary medicines available at the hospitals. There are 22 paediatric intensive care beds in the hospital.

The head of the paediatrics department, Braj Mohan, said malnourished children are more prone to AES virus and government agencies should come to the rescue and provide them with rich diets.#

Awareness in schools

The district administration in association with the health department has launched an awareness drive in 2,960 government schools about AES and measures to prevent spread of the disease.

"Schoolchildren will be advised to follow the guidelines mentioned in the pamphlet and asked to promote the same in their residential areas," said Muzaffarpur district magistrate Dharmendra Kumar. "Trained health workers will be used to keep a tab on the children and ensure they follow the guidelines."

Civil surgeon Lalita Singh said malnutrition, germ-infested habitat and consumption of contaminated water, were a few reasons behind children contracting the disease.