Latest News

  • Home
  • National
  • More Than 50 Children Die In Bihar Due To Encephalitis Caused By Eating Lychee
More Than 50 Children Die In Bihar Due To Encephalitis Caused By Eating Lychee
Friday, June 14, 2019 IST
More Than 50 Children Die In Bihar Due To Encephalitis Caused By Eating Lychee

In a shocking incident, more than 50 children have died in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district after they developed brain infections which were caused by a toxic substance in the lychee fruit. 
 

 
 

According to officials, 31 children have died of Encephalitis in the past 10 days alone. 
 
AFP quoting senior health official Ashok Kumar Singh reported that the children had shown symptoms of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and most had suffered a sudden loss of glucose in their blood.
 
"The health department has already issued an advisory for people to take care of their children during the hot summer when day temperature is above 40 degree Celsius," Singh told AFP. 
 
At least 40 other children complaining of similar symptoms were being treated at intensive care units.
 
 
"We are trying our best to save them," said SP Singh, the chief medical officer of Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital.
 
According to the WHO Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain and viral infection is the most common cause. It can be life-threatening if it is not detected in time and prompt treatment administered. 
 
This is not the first time such deaths have been reported from Muzaffarpur which is known for its lush lychee orchards. In fact, Encephalitis deaths during the season have been happening in Muzaffarpur for years now. 
 
 
The connection between the two emerged only in 2017 in a joint study by scientists from the US and India. 
They had observed that in the Lychee season children in the area often used to spend their day in orchards eating the fruit and even skipping evening meals in the process. 
 
According to the study published in Lancet Global Health, the Hypoglycin A and Methylene cyclopropyl acetic acid which are naturally present in litchi fruit caused a reduction of low blood sugar levels during the night.
 
The deaths remained a mystery for years as the lab tests of blood and spinal fluid samples of the victims showed no signs of infection or exposure to chemicals and insecticides.
 
 
But during the study, the scientists noticed that all the children had either eaten Lychee hours before they became unwell or had visited the orchard in the previous 24 hours. 
 
 

 
 

Scientists from Delhi’s National Centre for Disease Control, India (NCDC) and the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had begun the study in 2013 following reports child deaths but were not able to find the cause. But the death of more than 100 children aged below 15 years gave the scientists more insights and behavioral patterns of the victims. 
 
 
Following the publication of the study children in the area were made aware of the dangers of excessive consumption of the fruit and encouraged them to eat an evening meal to keep their blood sugar levels normal. 
 
But another outbreak of Encephalitis during another lychee season suggests that more work need to be done to create awareness among both children and grown-ups. 

 
 
 
 
 

Related Topics

 
 
 

Trending News & Articles

 Article
Here is the full list of 827 porn websites banned by the DoT

While the Uttarakhand High Court has asked to block 857 websites, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) found 30 portals without any pornographic content. ...

Recently posted . 61K views . 1 min read
 

 Article
Class XII Boys Raped 16-Year-old in Dehradun School After Watching Porn on Phone: Police

The four boys as well as five school officials, including the director and principal, were arrested after the incident. The minors were presented before the Juvenil...

Recently posted . 8K views . 1 min read
 

 Article
Sept 27,2001 Rahul Gandhi and his girl friend Veronique,was arrested in Logan airport in Boston

Rahul was having an Italian passport and was carrying suitcase full of dollars. Some say it was about was it $2 million. Rahul and his girl friend was th...

Recently posted . 7K views . 7 min read
 

 Article
TOP 10 GYM EQUIPMENT BRANDS IN INDIA 2017

True – Tr...

Recently posted . 6K views . 83 min read
 

 
 

More in National

 Article
India's water crisis caused by misallocation, mispricing than actual scarcity, says report

It was jointly brought out by the CWC and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) which began using detailed space imaging techniques over a 30-year period. On th...

Recently posted. 576 views . 2 min read
 

 Article
YouTube removes 11 video links of IAF pilot Abhinandan on IT Ministry's request

The captured IAF pilot will be freed on Friday "as a peace gesture", Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Thursday.

Recently posted. 599 views . 1 min read
 

 Article
Forbes Released India Rich List 2017. Want To Know Who Topped It?

Forbes has released the 2017 Forbes India Rich List and in this we can see that India’s rich have become richer. Even though the economy is slowing down a bit...

Recently posted. 805 views . 8 min read
 

 Video
Mystery of Muhnochwa



Recently posted . 899 views
 

 Reviews
Book Review: ‘Paradise Towers’ by Shweta Bachchan-Nanda



Recently posted . 1K views . 20 min read
 

 Article
Payments banks, small finance banks to offer Atal Pension Yojana

  Eleven payments banks and 10 small finance banks have received licence from the RBI to start banking operations in India.

Recently posted. 608 views . 1 min read
 

 Article
Apple fired an iPhone X engineer after his daughter's hands-on video went viral

The engineer who let his daughter show off an iPhone X on YouTube was fired by Apple this week. Earlier this week, a YouTube vlogger named Brooke Amelia ...

Recently posted. 625 views . 11 min read
 

 
 
 

   Prashnavali

  Thought of the Day

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."
Eleanor Roosevelt

Be the first one to comment on this story

Close
Post Comment
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST


ads
Back To Top