BJP state president CP Thakur (second from left) with Bihar health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey look at a child at Kejriwal Maternity Clinic in Muzaffarpur on Tuesday. Picture by Prakash Kumar

Muzaffarpur/Motihari, June 21: A high-level team of the ministry of health directorate, New Delhi, inspected suspected patients of Japanese encephalitis at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzaffarpur today while eight children succumbed to a mystery disease in villages under Mehsi block of Motihari district bordering East Champaran.

The visiting team, headed by an assistant director, Dr S. Aamir, met acting superintendent of SKMCH Dr Kamlesh Tiwary, SKMCH principal Dr D.K. Sinha, deputy superintendent Dr Sunil Shahi and a host of paediatrics treating children suspected to be inflicted with Japanese encephalitis. Aamir was accompanied by a health official of the state government, Dinesh Prasad, during the inspection.

Shahi told The Telegraph that the team explored the possibilities for toning up sanitation in rural areas and sprinkling medicinal sprays to kill the germs apart from vaccination for Japanese encephalitis available.

Following requests made by chief minister Nitish Kumar, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad sent the team to take stock of the rise in viral infections, including suspected encephalitis and Japanese encephalitis. The team assured the mandarins of the health department to provide full support of the Centre to tackle the threat of virus epidemic in Muzaffarpur and its adjoining areas of north Bihar.

On the other hand, a famous paediatric, Dr R.P. Choudhary of Safdarganj Hospital, New Delhi, along with a virologist belonging to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, New Delhi, arrived this evening to conduct in-depth pathological and clinical examination of the suspected cases of encephalitis among the children under the age bracket of 3-9 years.

Suspected cases of encephalitis have afflicted children belonging to the lower strata of society residing in the countryside areas. They were accompanied by a host of doctors from the Regional Medical Institute, Patna, during the on-the-spot inspection at SKMCH, Sadar Hospital and the private Kejriwal Maternity Clinic in Juran Chapra locality of Muzaffarpur.

First, they held parleys with the attending doctors. Visiting doctors enquired about the line of treatment and drugs administered to the ailing children. Then, they visited the wards to see the condition of the ailing children and interacted briefly with their attendants. Thereafter, the team members collected blood samples and virus culture. Shahi said no new case has been admitted to SKMCH for treatment today.

In Motihari, the viral disease is suspected to be spreading from filth, mainly caused by vagabond pigs assembling near garbage dumps in urban and rural areas.

According to Dr Ashutosh Sharan, a leading general physician, both pigs and Culex mosquito are the prime carriers of the encephalitis virus. In an exclusive interview to The Telegraph, Dr Sharan told Culex mosquitos love to feed on pig blood and when their hunt gets over, they sit on human bodies to transmit the pig virus, resulting in encephalitis.

“Usually children and infants fall prey to the viral disease owing to their low immunity,” he added. Despite the spread of the mystery disease in Amwa and Chiknagari villages under Mehsi block, which has already claimed the lives of almost six infants under Mehsi block, the in-charge medical officer, Dr Om Prakash Singh, was hardly informed regarding the fatal disease that claimed the lives of several children in his block.

“In Amwa village under Mehsi block, the disease affected the family of one Deena Nath the most,” said a local Sudhist Thakur. Out of four children in the family, Rambha Kumari (7), Ganesh Kumar (5) and Gayatri Kumari (2.5) have already succumbed to the disease this month, while the infant is undergoing treatment at Muzaffarpur,” he added.

“Two granddaughters of one Jamaluddin Miya of the same village have died a couple of days ago, while Rehan (2), the son of Bipat Miya, died in the adjacent Chaknagari village last Sunday,” said Amar, a social activist.

When asked about the reluctance of the local doctors in such alarming situation, civil surgeon Dr K.P. Mandal told The Telegraph that two more casualties had been reported from Harpur Naag village under the same block taken place in the past 24 hours. He, however, told that apart from strict instructions to the block medical officer concerned to conduct rounds of the affected villages, a three-member team of doctors under Dr Awadhesh Kumar Sinha has been rushed for constant monitoring of the situation. Mandal added that the doctor of any area that saw deaths caused by encephalitis would have to face action.