Failure of states to provide basic nutrition and health facilities has led to the death of hundreds of children from the preventable acute encephalopathy syndrome. BANJOT KAUR from Bihar and SHAGUN KAPIL from Uttar Pradesh report
Acute encephalopathy syndrome or AES, a brain fever whose cause remains unknown (see ‘Enigmatic AES’ on p36 ), strikes in and around Muzaffarpur and has killed 1,673 children in the state since 2010, when the government started a centralised registry for it. This year, one in every five AES patientsin Bihar has died. The tragedy is even more acute in Muzaffarpur, which accounts for 65 per cent of the state’s 539 AES cases and 58 per cent of the total deaths till July 3. The disease has an unmistakable pattern: most children went to sleep at night hungry and woke up in the morning with fever and seizures. Most of them died because their nearest health centre did not even have glucose drips.
Vijay Kumar, who lost his six-year-old son on June 6, says the primary health centre nearest to his Bahadurpur village in Muzaffarpur refused to treat his ailing son because it did not have glucose. Kumar had to travel for over two hours to reach the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzaffarpur. “My son went into coma during the travel. Four hours later, he died,” says Kumar.
Denne historien er fra July 16, 2019-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra July 16, 2019-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara