健康英语新闻:Over 100 children die of suspected encephalitis in India

NEW DELHI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Suspected encephalitis has killed over 100 children in the northern Indian state of Bihar since June, reported local media Saturday.

At least 51 children in Bihar's Gaya district died of the epidemic in the last seven weeks, in the wake of the death of 55 children in a similar outbreak of the brain disease in another district of the state earlier, reported Indo-Asian News Service.

Most of the children belong to a caste known for its absolute poverty.

According to district health officials, all children have died at Anugrah Narain Medical College and Hospital in Gaya, about 100 km from the state capital Patna.

The children reported high fever, followed by bouts of unconsciousness and convulsions.

So far, more than 220 children with suspected encephalitis were admitted for treatment, with over two dozens of the children still battling for life, according to the report.

Earlier, Indian Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said clinical and epidemiological data suggested that there was an outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome, resulting in 150 cases and 55 deaths, mostly among children, from early June to mid-July in the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar.