Vaccination Campaign Against Encephalitis Launched in Bihar

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday launched a two-day vaccination campaign in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district hit by a suspected encephalitis outbreak that has claimed the lives of at least 139 children so far.

"The campaign has been launched to ensure 100 percent immunization of children in the affected areas," Harsh Vardhan told media persons after the campaign began at a primary health centre in Kanti block of Muzaffarpur, about 70 km from here.

He said all children should be vaccinated as it is the best preventive measure against any disease.

"Immunization is a must for children for safeguarding them against all diseases, not only encephalitis," he said.

"I was informed by doctors and health officials here that 92 percent children in the affected districts have not been vaccinated. Our aim is to ensure 100 percent immunization of children," Harsh Vardhan said.

He said that after returning to Delhi Sunday night, he would formulate a comprehensive plan to eradicate the suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

"I have discussed it with experts and doctors during my visit to Muzaffarpur. It helped me understand the situation. I will also discuss the disease with experts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based in Atlanta, US, during my visit June 26," he said.

The union minister said that he has already discussed the disease and its possible causes with World Health Organisation (WHO) officials and scientists from various institutes but they were not sure whether it was viral, toxic or metabolic.

"There is a need of in depth research on the cause of deaths due to the disease," he said.

Harsh Vardhan reiterated that the central government would provide all possible help to Bihar in controlling the outbreak.

A virology centre would be set up in Bihar on the lines of the National Institute of Virology in Pune, he said.

The disease, limited to Muzaffarpur till last week, has now spread to Vaishali, Samastipur, Sheohar, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Begusarai, Bhagalpur and Gaya districts of the state.

The Acute Encephalitis Syndrome is a severe case of encephalitis characterised by inflammation of the brain. The infection - transmitted by mosquitoes - causes high fever.

Source: NDTV

14-year-old Shivanand from Bihar cracks IIT-JEE

A 14-year-old from Bihar's Rohtas district has cracked this year's prestigious IIT-JEE.

Shivanand, the son of a farmer, passed his class 12 exam this year with 93.4%, and got special permission to sit for the Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE), the results of which were declared Thursday. He ranked 2,587.

"We are proud of him. He has done something very special at this age," Shivanand's father Kamlakant Tiwari, a resident of Dharampur village, told IANS.

Shivanand said he wanted to pursue research in physics. "I am keen on becoming a scientist," he said.

Tiwari said it was the first attempt of his son in IIT-JEE and he had proved himself to be intelligent.

A total of 126,997 applicants had registered for the entrance examination out of which 27,151 candidates have cleared IIT-JEE (advanced).

Last year, 13-year-old Satyam Kumar from Bihar's Bhojpur district had cracked the IIT-JEE and secured an impressive all India rank of 679.



The IIT-JEE advance exams are conducted to secure admission to the undergraduate programmes offered by the 16 IITs and the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad in Jharkhand. The intake of these institutes is 9,784.

Super 30 excels again, 27 out of 30 students qualify for IIT

Yet another year, yet another tale of success for Super 30. It is 27 out of 30, as the results of JEE-Advance were announced for admission to different IITs. Super 30 founder Anand Kumar had released the list of all 30 students with their roll numbers and relevant details. He said like previous years, he had released the list to maintain utmost transparency in what he has been doing for last 12 years without any financial assistance from any outside agency.

So far, 308 students from Super 30 have made it to IIT, bringing global recognition for Anand and Bihar.

The mood at Anand Kumar's residence, from where he runs Super 30, was overpowering, as the successful students basked in the new found glory, something they had never seen before. Their hard work had paid off and Super 30 had again proved talent requires nothing but right encouragement and opportunity only to blossom. In Super 30, Anand selects 30 meritorious students from poor families and grooms them for IIT.

The students stay with Anand. They were provided free food, stay and lodging. Anand bears the expenses on his own with no financial help from anyone.

The main feature of Super 30 was again reflected through the results, with most of the students from underprivileged sections of the society. From the son of a daily wage earner, roadside vendor, private tutor, magazine vendor, they all made it to IIT.

Prabhat Pandey hails from Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. When the result of IIT came, he had every reason to be happy and he was. His father is a teacher in a private school for just Rs 3,000 a month. He did his class 10 from UP board. He recalls how his father could not even afford books for him and many a time the family had to sleep empty stomach, as two square meals were a luxury for them. "In Super 30, I gained not only knowledge, but also confidence, as here I found many like me. The teaching style of Anand Sir further comforted us, as he never discouraged us even after repeated failures. He solved problems in different ways and always remained positive with the students," he recalls, adding he would like to get into a job after completing his engineering so that he could pull his family out of deprivation.

Dhananjay Kumar is a resident of Samastipur district in Bihar. His father worked in Surat but later settled in the village and opened a grocery shop with whatever money he had saved in Surat. He wanted Dhananjay to sit in the shop, though the little boy always insisted that he wanted to study. But his father was unrelenting. He made him sit in the shop and in the evening took the account from him. Whenever Dhananjay went to the city to buy goods for the shop, he saved some money and without telling his father bought books with them. He used to study in the shop during lull period. He bought the form for Super 30 by stealing Rs 50. After seeing his result, he was quite happy. "I also want to contribute something for the society, especially for the poor children, after completing my studies. Every child should get opportunity to study," he says.

Misfortune struck Mani Ram Singh at an early stage in life. His father being a farm labourer and barely earning enough for two square meals in the family, this boy from Bijnaur in Uttar Pradesh had to see poverty and acute hardship since childhood. As it often leads to, Mani Ram was also weak and underfed. His malnutrition body took its toll, and he suffered a paralytic stroke when he was a child. Though his poor father spent beyond hid means on his treatment and ran from one hospital to another to save his child, it was not enough.

Mani Ram could not regain strength in one of his legs. He started limping. His father was crestfallen, while the villagers felt pity on him. "Make him learn singing so that he could at least beg to get food for himself. He will not be able to do anything," is how the villagers expressed sympathy towards him.

But Mani Ram refused to be cowed down by his handicap. "I knew there was not much I could do for my physical disability, but I still I wanted to study. However, continuing education was a big ask as I could not think of going beyond a local government school," he recalled.

After his plus two, Mani Ram came to Patna trying to find information about Super 30 about which he had just heard from a student. Limping and without anything, he reached Super 30 and his strong will power impressed Kumar.

Today, Mani Ram can afford a smile for having set an example for many those who get bogged down by physical disability. He has qualified JEE - Advance and is set to join IIT. His smile is an answer to those who had once written him off. His success has surprised all, but not Anand Kumar.

"I think being at the Super 30 added wings to my dreams to study at IIT. Anand Sir gave me the self belief and taught me in such a way that I stopped thinking about my disability and felt like being as capable as anyone else. Perhaps, the Almighty brought me here to give me the opportunity. He took special care of me. I will do anything for him in my life," he said, adding he would like to be an IAS officer to be able to serve the society, especially the poor, like Anand Sir.

There are two Amit Kumars in the Super 30 batch this year. One of them is from an extremely poor family of Gaya. Due to drought, the family has nothing to eat. His father Ishwari Prasad sold vegetables in Gaya, but due to poor financial condition he had to stop it. Even two square meals is a problem. Last year, when he was in Super 30, his younger brother fell ill and due to lack of proper treatment he died. Amit was inconsolable and everyone in Super 30 stood by him to help him overcome the huge tragedy. Even today, his grandmother is bedridden for want of treatment and nutrition due to acute financial crisis.

The second Amit kumar is from a Patna's village. With just one bigha land, it is not sufficient for a family of six, including four children. His father Virendra Singh works on other's field. He remembers how his grandmother died due to lack of treatment. After clearing his school studies from a government school, he went to Super 30. Today he has cracked IIT. He is happy, though his family members are yet to understand the importance of IIT and how it is different from ITI.

Nitish Kumar is a resident of Naubatpur in Patna. His father has just one bigha land. He produces vegetables on the land to manage the family. Nitish has also cracked IIT and is weaving dreams about life after getting into a job. "Many a time I did not even have money to deposit fee for the examinations," he recalls, saying he would like to give comfort to his parents after getting into a job.

When Jyotsana Bhardwaj came to Super 30 from Chhattisgarh, she had a dream, her father Ravi Shankar Bhardwaj did not have the income to afford preparation for IIT for his daughter in Kota or elsewhere.

"I was lucky to find another father in Anand Sir. I stayed with his family and never felt like being out of home," she fondly reminisces.

The atmosphere in Anand's house was quite touching, with parents, from modest or poor background, overjoyed by the achievements of their wards.

Having missed the opportunity to pursue higher education in the University of Cambridge due to acute financial hardship after the sudden demise of his father — the sole bread earner for the family — Anand Kumar set up Super 30 around 13 years ago. Under the programme, which has achieved global acclaim due to its phenomenal success rate?

Source: TOI

Encephalitis Spreads in Bihar: 107 Children Dead in Two Months

The suspected encephalitis death toll in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district is increasing by the day and according to the latest report, 107 children have died in the last two months.

Now, the outbreak is spreading to some of the adjoining districts. Three-year-old Salman, from Bihar's Sheohar district, has been at a government hospital in Muzaffarpur for over two days now, brought in with the familiar symptoms of fever, shivering and body ache, that affects hundreds of children in these parts each year, and has resulted in many deaths from what doctors suspect is acute encephalitis.

But over two decades after this disease started hit Muzaffarpur, no cause or cure has been found yet.

The Bihar government says it has provided an ambulance at each block office within Muzaffarpur so that children exhibiting any of the symptoms can be rushed to the designated hospitals. Currently, two hospitals in Muzaffarpur, one government and one private children's hospital have the required facilities and treatment available. However a dedicated encephalitis ward at the government hospital has not been set up but authorities says it will be created soon.

Last week , the Union Health Minister announced a series of measures to tackle encephalitis including a bigger effort to identify the cause of the disease and a five-year action plan similar to the one implemented for polio.

Source: NDTV

Experts Collect Litchi Samples in Bihar to Identify Deadly Virus

Experts on Wednesday collected samples of litchi to identify the virus strain that has claimed the lives of over 50 children in Bihar.

"We have collected samples of litchi from orchards in affected areas for toxicology study. It will help us to identify the virus strain of the disease that remains a mystery till date," said Prabhat Kumar Sinha, who is heading a six-member team from the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS).

"Now it will be known whether the disease was caused by litchi or not," Sinha told IANS over the phone. "In fact, the disease still remains a mystery," he said.

Some scientists, including Sinha, in their earlier reports had attributed the disease to litchies in Muzaffarpur district. "It is a subject for in-depth research," he said.

Vishal Nath, director of the Muzaffarpur-based National Research Centre for Litchi, said northern Bihar, including Muzaffarpur, accounts for over 62 percent of the country's total litchi production.

He said Muzaffarpur's Shahi Litchi is famous for its unique flavour and taste.

Five more children died of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) Wednesday in Muzaffarpur district, taking the statewide death toll to 51 in the past 10 days.

Health officials said they had identified half a dozen districts where the disease has spread but the worst affected is Muzaffarpur, known for its sweet and juicy litchies.

Meanwhile, Bihar Health Minister Ramdhani Singh told reporters here that national and international scientific teams were camping in Muzaffarpur to ascertain the cause of the disease.

A team from the Atlanta-based Central Disease Control has come to the state after the centre's intervention to help control the disease.

Ramdhani Singh said the state government has already appealed to the central government for assistance. He said the doctors treating the affected children informed him that the disease has not attained an epidemic form so far.

Source: NDTV

38 Lives Lost in Bihar: No Cure for This Deadly Disease Yet

Suspected encephalitis has claimed 38 lives in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district so far this year, and more than 120 children are admitted in various hospitals after being diagnosed with the ailment.

The disease has acquired the proportions of an epidemic, and has become an annual affair, with poor children being the most vulnerable among the target groups. No treatment is available so far - a scary prospect by all standards.

At Muzaffarpur's Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, 8-month- old Ananya presents a heart breaking sight. Doctors suspect she is suffering from encephailitis, and she is battling for her life. Cases have been reported at Muzaffarpur's Kejriwal Nursing Home too.

Her parents brought her to the hospital on Tuesday morning, after she complained of high fever and shivering. Doctors attending to the patients in the hospital's intensive care still don't know why this disease has been striking Muzaffarpur and adjoining areas for over two decades now.

So far this year, there have been 38 deaths because of suspected encephalitis. In 2013, there were 62 casualties reported from Muzaffarpur and adjoining districts.

Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, too, has been in the grip of encephalitis. Inspite of the best efforts of the government of India and international research organisations, no cause or cure for the disease has been found yet.

Dr Gyan Bhushan, Civil Surgeon of Muzaffarpur, says, "I have been in the field for three years. It seems that heat, and, particularly, humidity have a large role to play. When humidity levels go up, these children seem to develop severe glucose deficiency.''

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, after chairing a meeting on encephalitis in the capital today, announced a series of measures to tackle the dreaded disease, including a five-year action plan similar to the pulse polio eradication campaign, a dedicated ward for encephalitis in Muzaffarpur and dedicated surveillance systems to track its outbreak.

"I have instructed officials of Bihar and UP to take it up like an emergency. Giving 100 per cent immunisation coverage to a few districts in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh is also a must,'' he told reporters later.

Source: NDTV

Bihar seeks GI tag for its Shahi Litchi

After Madhubani paintings, Bihar's Shahi Litchi will soon get Geographical Indication (GI) tag and it would become an exclusive brand of the state in national and international market, an official said Friday.

The Bihar government took the initiative to get GI tag for Shahi Litchi grown in Muzaffarpur district and some other areas. The fruit grown in the state is sweet, juicy and larger in size.

Bihar is also planning to register Tussar silk and aromatic Katarni rice from Bhagalpur district under the provisions of the GI tag.

A GI is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin such as a town, region, or country. The use of a GI may act as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities due to its geographical origin.

The state's asset innovation council moved for getting specific tag for Bihar's Shahi Litchi.

Principal Secretary for Planning and Development Vijay Prakash said the state government has decided to get the GI tag for the fruit to help thousands of litchi growers.

"We expect the registration of the name will benefit farmers who will gain access to more markets and get better price in the country and abroad," Prakash said.

He said Shahi Litchi is likely to get the GI tag in next two to three days.

Prakash said once the Bihar government gets exclusive right to the brand name Shahi Litchi, no one else will be able to use it to market the fruit in India or abroad. Buyers anywhere would know that litchis with this name must be from Muzaffarpur.

Countries that import litchis from India are the Netherlands, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Canada, Russia and Yemen.

Vishal Nath, director of the Muzaffarpur-based National Research Centre for Litchi, said northern Bihar, including Muzaffarpur, accounts for over 62 percent of the country's total litchi production.

Nath said Shahi Litchi is famous for its unique flavour and taste.

Vijay Prakash said Madhubani paintings got the GI tag, thanks to the initiative of the state industry department. Madhubani painting was the first to get the GI tag in Bihar.

For ages, rural people, mostly women from Mithila region have developed their own tradition of art, popularly known as Madhubani paintings and named after Madhubani district. This painting tradition dates back to the 7th century A.D.

Traditionally, Madhubani paintings were made on the eve of certain rituals and ceremonies such as pujas (worships), vratas (fasts) or weddings. But in the last few decades, Madhubani paintings have been popularised by the master painters in the world.

Source: DW

Meet Bihar's Class 12 Toppers, Sons of a Gas Vendor and Generator Operator

The Bihar Board Class 12 examination results have thrown up some happy moments, with the Science and Commerce stream toppers coming from very poor backgrounds.

In the last 24 hours, since the class 12 Bihar Board results were declared, Science stream topper Ravish Kumar and his parents have posed many times for the sweet eating moment, to different media crews, but haven't run out of patience.

Ravish is from a poor background. His father is the sole breadwinner for a family of four, and has been a gas cylinder vendor since 2004. This exam, Ravish scored 425 marks out of 500, putting in 12 to 13 hours of studying, sometimes without electricity, at their two-room house in Danapur, close to Patna.

"I feel very happy. Used to read the papers and see that many people from small and poor families could top and I used to wonder if I would," he says.

The next stop, Ravish says, will be Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), and he's already started coaching class in Patna. More good news, his coaching institute has returned his yearly fees and promised a stipend too.

Ravish's father Ashok Kumar Singh says, "We never had to ask him to study. I always used to say to him don't study so much."

For Ravish's mother Pinki Devi, there were added concerns. "I was very worried he would not eat properly. But I am very happy if his choice is IIT," she says with pride.

Ravish is not the only student with a humble background who has done exceedingly well in the Class 12 exam. In another part of the state, the son of a generator operator has topped the Commerce stream of the Bihar Board.

In Gaya, the celebrations haven't ended at the home of Avinash Kumar, the commerce stream topper. Avinash's father is a generator operator in town but the adversity at home, and the lack of resources, never dimmed the boy's spirit. He says, "My parents have supported me all through. Have gone through a lot of problems because of me. I wanted to pay them back."

Source: NDTV