While 12 children had died till Friday, five more casualties were reported from Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) and a private nursing home Kejriwal hospital on Saturday.
Health Secretary Amarjeet Sinha, who took stock of the situation at SKMCH, has alerted all the hospitals of the state, even though the outbreak of Japanese encephalitis is limited to Tirhut division in north Bihar. At least 33 more children have been admitted to different hospitals in Muzaffarpur with symptoms of high temperature and convulsion. Their blood samples have been collected for further investigation.
“Besides, a five-member team headed by Additional Chief Medical Officer (ACMO) Dr J P Ranjan has been constituted to prevent the spread of the disease,” said Civil Surgeon Dr A P Singh. A state-wide alert has been sounded by the health department.
Published 18 June 2011, 06:55 IST