After encephalitis deaths, Odisha orders testing of litchi fruit

Bhubaneswar: Amid the outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar which claimed 109 lives so far, Odisha Health Minister Naba Kishore Das has directed officials to ascertain toxic content in litchi fruit being sold in the state.

Also Read: Bihar Heath Minister: 57 children die due to Encephalitis 

The directive has come in the wake of reports that encephalitis is spreading in litchi growing areas of Bihar, including Muzaffarpur district and other parts of the country and that consumption of the fruit was among the factors for the spread of the disease.

Also Read | Bihar Heath Minister: 57 children die due to Encephalitis

The Department of Health and Family Welfare asked the Food Commissioner to collect and test the sample of Litchi being sold in the market.

Also Read: Muzaffarpur: Encephalitis death toll rises to 83

Earlier, Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey had said a team that was formed to ascertain the cause of Encephalitis concluded that sleeping on an empty stomach at night, dehydration due to humidity and eating litchi on an empty stomach were some of the causes of the disease.

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Encephalitis is a viral disease, which causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions, and headache. (ANI)
 

• #Acute Encephalitis Syndrome
• #Odisha
• #Naba Kishore Das
• #Health Minister
• #litchi
• #toxic content