57 children have died in Bihar due to acute Encephalitis
The death toll in Bihar is increasing rapidly. The victims are young malnourished children. And the disease that is killing them is Encephalitis Syndrome (EAS).
What is encephalitis?
Encephalitis is a condition that leads to inflammation of the brain.
57 children have died from encephalitis caused by an innocent Lychee
What is causing acute encephalitis in children?
It is summertime in India. And scorching heats calls for measures that sometimes end up being harmful. Children hailing from poor families in Bihar, intake dozens of Lychees during breakfast. While the fruit looks innocent and tastes just perfect in contrast to the summer, it can be evil. But this happens only when the blood sugar levels are low because of fasting. For example, at breakfast. Lychees are believed to contain a chemical called Methylene cyclopropyl-glycine (MCPG). This MCPG is believed to lead to metabolic disease, hypoglycaemic encephalopathy, in children.
As a result, all state health officials, including Bihar, have issued advice to parents. They have requested to not feed Lychees to children. Especially, on an empty stomach.