Four more encephalitis deaths in Uttar Pradesh

GORAKHPUR - Four more deaths due to encephalitis were reported in this Uttar Pradesh town Saturday, taking this year’s toll in its epicenter, Gorakhpur, to 215.

Three of the four victims were boys in the age group of 5-12 years, while one was a 3-year-old girl.

According to an official of the BRD Medical College here, which runs a well- established nodal centre to deal with the rampant menace of encephalitis in large parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, two of these children were from Gorakhpur itself, while one was brought here from the neighbouring Maharajganj and another from Bihar.

The bulk of this year’s deaths have taken place since the onset of monsoon, in which the effect of deadly virus increases.

According to the spokesman, as many as 134 of this year’s 215 deaths were recorded between July 10 and Aug 28.

The BRD Medical College, which caters to a large population spread across more than half a dozen encephalitis prone districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and a few districts of Bihar, had received 865 encephalitis patients since July 10.