The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Central and Bihar governments on the steps taken to prevent death of children due to the outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur. Gavai asked the State government to explain in an affidavit the facilities dealing with public health, nutrition and sanitation for treatment of children suffering from AES. The order came while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking the court’s intervention following the death of over 126 children due to AES. During the hearing, the Bench was informed that similar deaths had occurred in Uttar Pradesh. Following this, the Bench directed the State government to also submit its reply on the issue as well.

Source: The Hindu June 24, 2019 09:45 UTC