PATNA: At a time when the state is battling against the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) claimed the life of yet another minor girl of an extremely poor family in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district on Wednesday.
With the death of eight-year old Chandni Kumari of Kalyanpur village under Aurai block of Muzaffarpur, the AES toll reached six creating panic across the rural areas.
The state Health department confirmed the death on Friday taking all details in which a government doctor posted at nearby community health centre in Sitamarhi district, wherein the patient was first taken for treatment, has been found maitaining laxity.
Principal Secretary (Health) Sanjay Kumar said that Chandni Kumari was taken to the nearby health centre by her father but the doctor on duty referred the patient only after injecting ceftriaxone 500mg IV instead of giving a dose of 10 per cent dextrose to SK Medical College and Hospital.
"It was done by the doctor overlooking the SOP of treatment despite of all medicines and medical facilities available. It goes without saying that the negligence was maintained by the doctor on duty. A show cause notice has been issued to him before initiating departmental action," Kumar said.
Earlier at SKMCH, five minors including a pair of twin sisters died due to AES in the last three months. Official sources said that recurring of viral disease with symptoms akin to AES has started this year much earlier than its usual time of outbreak starts with the first week of June.
According to official figures shared by principal health secretary Sanjay Kumar,49 cases of AES have been reported at SKMCH from across the districts including Muzaffarpur till May 13 from March 1. The AES in Bihar's 18 affected districts is colloquially called as "Chamaki Bukhar".
This year,28 cases of AES were reported among children of 0 to 4 years of age, followed by 18 cases in 5-9 years of age and 3 in 10-14 years age group of children. In 2019, 236 children had died due to AES out of total 1089 cases reported between June 4 and 30 in Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, Vaishali and other districts including Sitamarhi and Sheohar.
Government actions taken
More than 356 panchayats of Muzaffarpur, which remains an epicentre of AES every year, have been adopted by officials to create awareness in public on its prevention.
28 AES-special BLS ambulances have been sent to seven most-affected districts to ferry children affected with AES.
Medical kits have been sent to 366 health centres in the districts and 100-bed PICU hospital at SKMCH built in addition to 60-bed another AES special ward.