Acute Encephalitis Syndrome: Bihar on Alert After Toddler Dies of ‘Chamki Fever’ in Muzaffarpur

Chamki fever generally appears between March and August every year in Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Vaishali, Darbhanga, and other adjoining districts.

New Delhi: As cases of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) are increasing in Bihar, medical services of the state have been put on alert. As per a report in Hindustan Times, the Nitish Kumar-led government has extended an arrangement of linking an auto-rickshaw with every panchayat across 12 districts so that children suffering from acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) can be ferried easily to the nearest hospital/health facility.

This comes after two children died of AES while 14 such cases have been reported this year. Earlier last week, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asserted that the government was alert and fully prepared to deal with the situation.  “As the cases of AES generally appear in this session, the doctors are on the alert mode. Special directives have been given to them”, he had said.

“We will pay the affected family between ₹400 and ₹1,000, depending on the distance, as transportation cost to ferry children suffering from AES to the nearest health facility. We have also linked an auto-rickshaw for this purpose with every panchayat and mapped it with the nearest PHC [Public Health Centre],” HT quoted additional director (health) Vinay Kumar Sharma as saying.

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome or Chamki Fever: All You Need to Know

Chamki fever generally appears between March and August every year in Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Vaishali, Darbhanga, and other adjoining districts. Medical experts believe that these districts have high humidity and temperature which allow the fever to spread among children in a age group of 0 to 10 years.

Signs And Symptoms of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES)

• High Fever.
• Headache.
• Vomiting.
• Confusion.
• Seizures.
• Sensitivity to light.
• Stiff neck and back.
• Memory loss.