Bhubaneswar, June 19: After the outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar in which over 108 kids have lost their lives so far, the Odisha government has directed officials to collect samples of litchi being sold in the market and test it for any toxins affecting human health. According to a tweet by ANI, state Health Minister Naba Kishore Das directed Food Safety Commissioners to test the litchi being sold in the market after some reports suggested that the fruit was responsible for the deaths in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district.

The Department of Health & Family Welfare of Odisha said that Encephalitis is spreading in Litchi growing areas of Bihar and other parts of country.  In view of this, Food Safety Commissioner has been directed to collect and test sample of Litchi being sold in market to ascertain toxic contents. Encephalitis in Muzaffarpur, Bihar: All About the Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Prevention of the Brain Inflammation.

On Tuesday, a plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking direction to the Centre to dispatch a team of medical professionals to review and assist in preventing the outbreak of AES in Muzaffarpur.

On Sunday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan visited Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, where 108 children have died due to AES in the past fortnight. Seventy three children had died till Saturday night.  Bihar Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar on Tuesday informed that some doctors have been brought from outside to provide timely treatment to the encephalitis affected patients. Encephalitis in Lychee Town Muzaffarpur: Did Litchis Cause Deaths Outside India? 

In the wake of the rising number of deaths in the state, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday gave directions to convert SKMCH into a 2500-bed hospital. The chief minister also issued orders saying 1500 new beds for the hospital should be arranged immediately. He also gave directions to build a 'dharmshala' for the relatives and families of the those who are admitted in SKMCH.

Kumar visited Muzaffarpur to take a stock of the situation. Hundreds of angry protesters staged a demonstration outside the state-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), where Kumar arrived with Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.  The protesters, annoyed over poor medical treatment and lack of facilities, shouted slogans like "Chief Minister wapas jao (Go back Chief Minister)".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2019 08:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).