Patna, Oct 3 (IANS) Suspected encephalitis, a brain infection, has killed three more children in Bihar’s Gaya district, taking the death toll due to the disease to 54, an official said Monday.


The three children died in the last 48 hours at Anugrah Narayan Medical College and Hospital (ANMCH), about 100 km from here, said the district health official.

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

"Most of the children were from rural areas of Gaya and neighbouring districts," said head of the children's department at ANMCH A.K. Ravi, adding that more than 25 children with suspected encephalitis were admitted.

"Over two dozen children are still battling for life," he said.

Suspected encephalitis in Gaya killed 46 children in 2009, 49 in 2008 and 29 in 2007, said a district administration official.

Two months ago, 55 children died in Muzaffarpur district but the state government is yet to confirm these as encephalitis deaths.

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad last month informed the Rajya Sabha that clinical and epidemiological data suggested that it was an outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome, resulting in 150 cases and 55 deaths, mostly among children.

In a written reply, the minister said these cases were reported from early June to mid-July from Muzaffarpur and its bordering areas in Bihar.