In the Indian state of Bihar died 103 children. Encephalitis ill even 200 people, most of whom are children under 10 years of age.
In early June, in India there was an outbreak of encephalitis, which has claimed the lives of 103 children, writes the Chronicle.info with reference to korrespondent.net.
At least 200 patients, many of whom are under 10 years of age, are still undergoing treatment in two hospitals. Officials say many of the children died because of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as a consequence of poor nutrition.
Thousands of children died of encephalitis in the Indian state of Bihar and the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh since then, as the first case was reported in the late 1970-ies.
Until 2005, doctors believed that most deaths were caused by Japanese encephalitis, a virus carried by mosquitoes. But in the last decade, children have died from other forms of viral encephalitis, the exact cause of which is unclear.
The current outbreak began in June and resulted in the highest number of deaths in the city of Muzaffarpur.
