The deaths were reported from two hospitals in Bihar state’s Muzaffarpur district, famed for it lush lychee orchards, officials said. The children all showed symptoms of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), senior health official Ashok Kumar Singh told AFP, adding most had suffered a sudden loss of glucose in their blood. At least 40 other children complaining of similar symptoms were being treated at intensive care units. Known locally as Chamki Bukhar, the disease had claimed a record 150 lives in 2014. In 2015, US researchers had said the brain disease could be linked to a toxic substance found in the exotic fruit.

Source: The Express Tribune June 12, 2019 09:11 UTC