Even as the medical opinion remains divided over the cause of the outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur where over 118 kids have died so far, BJP member from the State, Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Friday urged the Government to probe whether linking deaths of children due to the deadly disease to consumption of litchis was part of a conspiracy to damage the brand name of the fruit.
Participating in a debate during the Zero Hour in Parliament, Rudy said the situation in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur was worrisome. “We are told that eating litchi by children in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur may be cause of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). This is a conspiracy to damage the brand name of litchi... We are eating litchis since our childhood but we did not suffer from AES,” Rudy said.
The MP from Bihar’s Saran district further said that due to some misinformation many people have stopped eating litchi and drinking litchi juice. “The Government must probe if there is conspiracy to harm interest of Indian litchi farmers by linking death of children due to AES in Muzaffarpur to consumption of litchi,” he said.
Participating in the debate in Parliament, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said due to careless attitude of the State and the Union Government, situation in Bihar is not improving and poor kids are dying due to AES.
Chowdhury also pointed out that the ratio of patients and doctors is lowest in Bihar.
After 118 children died due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur districts of Bihar, more than two dozen cases of AES deaths have been reported from other districts of Bihar in the last 24 hours.
According to health officials here, the deaths have been reported from Patna, Bhagalpur, Banka, Sitamarhi, Samastipur, East Champaran and West Champaran. AES is a serious neurological illness that causes inflammation of the brain.
Independent child specialist Arun Shah, who headed the Bihar chapter of Indian Association of Pediatrics, on Wednesday, had said that consumption of unripe litchi containing a high concentration of toxin could be behind the AES outbreak in Muzaffarpur.
Dr Gopal Shankar Sahni of SKMCH said apart from malnutrition and consumption of litchi in empty stomach, heatwave condition triggers AES outbreak year after year.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai announced that all 17 BJP MPs of Bihar will donate Rs 25 Lakh for their respective constituencies to build PICUs in Sadar Hospitals there.