Relevance: G.S Paper III : Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life
While Bihar loses many kids to AES (Acute Encephalitis Syndrome) consistently, there were sharp spikes in 2012 and 2014, when 395 and 372 kids, individually, lost their lives. As the years progressed, AES cases have been accounted for from a few areas in Bihar: Gaya, Patna, Aurangabad, Saran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi and Vaishali.
Encephalitis refers to an inflammation in the brain due to a viral or bacterial attack. It causes fever and almost never a drop in blood sugar. In the current epidemic, as well as in previous ones in Muzaffarpur, the doctors have marked cases of and deaths by hypoglycaemia (drop in blood sugar), which is unusual.
Potential reasons:
Litchi Link:
Spike in AES cases and in fatalities can be a consequence of malnourished youngsters enduring cerebrum harm in the wake of eating litchis, especially unripe or overripe ones.
In 2016, a point by point examination, distributed in The Lancet Global Health by the National Center for Disease Control, India, and the U.S. Habitats for Disease Control and Prevention, discovered “affirmation” that litchis contained a synthetic called methylene cyclopropyl glycine (MCPG). These are normally happening poisons that reason hypoglycaemia and metabolic unhinging in kids.
At the point when a youngster is malnourished, her body, having depleted its stores of glucose from the stomach related tract and the liver, regularly goes to unsaturated fats in biochemical franticness to supply glucose to the mind. MCPG, the hypothesis goes, hindered this system. This can send the mind into hypoglycaemic stun activating seizures and, if unaddressed, even demise.
Heat waves:
It could be the progressing heatwave — a few pieces of Patna, Gaya and even Muzaffarpur have recorded temperatures more than 4-5°C over what’s typical for this time. At any rate 80 individuals have capitulated to the heatwave. The additional warmth and moistness could have made youthful kids especially vulnerable to lack of hydration.
Infection or other biological agent:
A few guardians of the weak kids have been straight out that their kids did not eat litchis. In the event that lack of healthy sustenance and litchi utilization were the causes, at that point there should have been a genuinely consistent number of passings consistently. This has not been watched.
“A pinnacle and an ebb in cases and passings is the thing that we see. What’s more, that is increasingly run of the mill of a natural operator.”
Weak health records:
Independent of whether an organic operator or ailing health is to be faulted, Bihar’s poor reputation in guaranteeing that the least fortunate approach satisfactory sustenance and doubt in the general medicinal services framework are real foundations for the passings.
Specialists in a few essential medicinal services focuses are “apprehensive” of doing anything past the absolute minimum to save a kid. “Since the essential social insurance focuses and well being focuses are situated in a town or network, there’s a more noteworthy shot of viciousness in the event that a youngster kicks the bucket. Throughout the years, this has prompted an absence of trust among individuals in their closest well being office and they decide on tertiary consideration.
Bihar’s situation at the base of national well being files makes novel sicknesses harder to distinguish and known ailments harder to treat.
As indicated by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) of 2015-2016, 48% of kids in Bihar were hindered, contrasted with the national normal of 38%.
Bihar likewise performed inadequately as far as its capacity to spend and actualize plans that gave nutritious nourishment to kids and eager moms.
66% of qualified youngsters did not get solid dinners, the NHFS report noted.
Way ahead:
In 2016, a government-constituted committee prescribed guidelines:
Children shouldn’t be allowed to skip their evening meal, they should avoid stepping out in the heat.
Local public healthcare centres must stock up on anti-convulsion drugs as well as dextrose.
These were adhered to in 2017 and 2018. And that’s why there were relatively fewer reports of AES.
Treating it as a disaster:
The NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) which was set up in 1999 has its brief to co-ordinate the response to “man-made and natural disasters”. Muzaffarpur is facing a disaster which is partly natural and certainly aggravated by being man-made. But it does not qualify. “Disaster”. Floods and earthquakes elicit immediate response, but not long epidemics or drought. Muzaffarpur is a national tragedy, as much as the Gujarat earthquake was, or the Kerala floods and it should be treated as one.
Conclusion:
The debate on the underlying reason for so many deaths is an ongoing one. With a spike in deaths every year it is clear that the State has failed Muzaffarpur’s children.
It is time a scientific study is carried out and steps be taken accordingly.