Bihar encephalitis: Nitish Kumar makes first visit to Muzaffarpur where over 100 children died

The disease has claimed 126 lives so far.

Kumar along with Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi visited state-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur, where 107 of the victims died. The two leaders met the parents of children undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The Chief Minister will also hold a review meeting. He has also announced Rs. 4 lakh as compensation to the next of the kin of those who have died.

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Monday chaired a meeting which was attended by officials from the Health Ministry, AIIMS and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The Union Health Minister said there was a need for "an-inter-disciplinary, high quality research team".

As a reaction to the outbreak of the disease, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday sent notices to the Union Health Ministry and the Bihar govenment.

"The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports about the rising number of deaths of children due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar in the past few days, " an official has been quoted by NDTV.

Image Credit: twitter.com/NitishKumar