Patna, June 15: A petitioner who filed a PIL in Patna High Court against the Bihar government last year has decided to add an interlocutory application, seeking direction to the state government to adopt measures to check children’s deaths in Patna and Muzaffarpur besides Gaya district.

More than 156 children have, so far, died because of suspected encephalitis in these districts.

“The high court is presently seized with a matter pertaining to children’s deaths in Gaya last year. We will now raise the issue of children’s deaths in Muzaffarpur and Patna following the government’s failure to take steps to prevent the spread of the killer disease,” Sunil Kumar, the counsel for the petitioner, told The Telegraph.

At present, the high court is hearing a PIL filed by Dhirendra Kumar, a social activist, seeking directions to the state government to take preventive measures to control deaths caused by encephalitis and malaria in Gaya.

“Inaction and mishandling on part of the state government has led to 156 deaths in these districts,” said Sunil Kumar, adding that the government has not made proper arrangements such as appointment of doctors, especially experts, in hospitals, additional primary health centres and primary health centres, fogging, immunisation drive and availability of medicines among others.

All these issues would be raised during the hearing of the main petition, which is listed for hearing on June 20, he said.

The petitioner’s counsel said the applicant would pray to the court to direct the authorities concerned to set up a branch of National Institute of Virology at Patna and also to open full-time research units at Gaya and Muzaffarpur.

On June 5, the principal secretary had said that the Union health secretary, V.M. Katoch, gave assurance for forming research teams at both places within a month or two to ascertain the reason behind the spread of disease.

Doctors have classified the killer disease as acute encephalitis syndrome. The state government has, however, ruled out Japanese encephalitis, a viral infection spread through mosquito bites, or encephalitis caused by enteroviruses, typically spread through contaminated food or water.

A similar outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome had also occurred in the state last year.