Fatal Litchi is Killing Hundreds of Children in Bihar Every Year

1. Fatal Litchi is Killing Hundreds of Children in Bihar Every Year Bihar is dealing with a mysterious brain- related illness which has been claiming the lives of hundreds of children in Muzaffarpur every year since 1994.

2. Food Stories India» To add to the puzzle, state health officials, based on insights from global experts, claim that the deaths are related to toxins found in litchis, grown and consumed in abundance around the region. AES Mystery • On Wednesday, health officials told AFP that at least 31 children have died in the city’s hospitals in the past 10 days. Meanwhile, the number of deaths reported by local media varies, with some stating 50 deaths in June. “Health authorities in Bihar said Thursday that 47 children have died of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), which involves inflammation of the brain,” reported CNN. “Two hospitals in Muzaffarpur registered a total of 179 cases since January but the deaths occured only in the past few weeks,” continued the report. Finding the Cause • A study in 2014 tried to investigate the causes of the unexplained neurological illness. After taking into consideration the cases of 390 patients that were admitted to city hospitals that year, the study found low glucose concentration, litchi consumption and absence of an evening meal as the common factors in all the cases. Toxic Release • The 2014 study found that the children who fell ill were twice as likely to have skipped dinner, which according to the researchers, probably resulted in “night-time hypoglycaemia.” When the children’s blood sugar level dropped, the body would start to metabolize fatty acids to produce a boost of glucose. “The liver stores glycogen. When the sugar level goes down, the liver releases extra sugar to balance it out, but if there is no extra sugar and there are only... Encephalitis Deaths in Bihar