PATNA: With one more infant succumbing due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome on Saturday in Muzaffarpur district, an alarmed Bihar government has began massive preparations to deal with the AES outbreak emerging steadily. Saturday’s death was the fourth AES death in the last few months.
Alarmed at the recurring AES deaths of children, the Nitish Kumar government has built a 100-bed Paediatrics Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at a hospital in a record time of eight months. “The state health department is now leaving no stone unturned to check the emerging threats of AES after the recent deaths of four kids including fourth on Saturday. The PICU is ready to be dedicated to the services of the people at Sri Kishan Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in next week by CM Nitish Kumar and deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi,” health minister Mangal Pandey said on Sunday.
“There is no state in the country where there is a 100-bed PICU hospital in one place except now at SKMCH in Muzaffarpur. It would be dedicated to the people in next week by Nitish Kumar and Sushil Kumar Modi.”Also, a 60-bed specially designed and developed AES ward has been built in the SKMCH and handed over to the hospital administration for the treatment of AES affected children.
From May to July, Muzaffarpur emerges every year as the epicentre of AES with hundreds of children falling pry. In 2019, more than 150 children had died in seven districts.“Government has set the first priority to save the lives of minor children. The health department has made extensive preparations to curb the growing effects of AES in the coming season,” Pandey said