Bihar AES reports make Odisha to order test on litchi

The tragic death of more than 130 children due to suspected acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in Bihar prompted the Odisha government to order a test on litchi imported from other states. The government ordered chemical tests on the popular fruit to ascertain the toxic content and its negative impact on human health following media reports that litchi could be a triggering factor behind the spread of the mysterious disease in Bihar.

“Health minister Nabakishore Das has directed the Food Safety Commissioner to collect samples of litchi from the market and conduct a test to find the toxic content in the fruit and its negative impact on human body”, a health department official said on Wednesday.

In addition, the state Directorate of Public Health (DPH) has issued an advisory to all the district headquarters hospitals (DHHs) to keep a tight vigil on AES cases as a precautionary message. “All the 30 DHH authorities in the state have been advised to remain on high alert and conduct weekly surveillance to identify AES cases”, the official said.

AES, however, is nothing new to a state like Odisha. According to sources in the health department, as many as 17 out of the 30 districts in the state are known as AES-prone. 34 children had succumbed to the dreaded disease in the tribal-dominated Malkangiri district in 2016. Between January 2018 and April 2019, 2331 children had been diagnosed with AES in different districts and among them, 11 had succumbed to the disease.

Nevertheless, the state health department said that it was capable and fully prepared to tackle any situation related to AES.