Bhubaneswar: In view of the rising encephalitis deaths in Bihar, Odisha government on Tuesday directed officials to collect samples of litchi being sold in the market and test it for any toxins affecting human health.
Health Minister Naba Kishore Das directed Food Safty Commissioners to test the litchi being sold in the market after some reports suggested that the fruit was responsible for the deaths in Bihar.
Bihar's Muzaffarpur district was one of the litchi growing areas in the state where over 100 children had died so far due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES).
The minister has further directed that the litchi collected from market should undergo laboratory test to ascertain the toxic content keeping in view its negative impact on human health.
In 2016 tribal dominated Malkangiri district of Odisha had reported 90 children death due to AES, Health department sources said.
The symptoms of AES include high fever, convulsions and extremely low level of sugar in the blood. Among the factors said to trigger the syndrome are malnutrition.
(With inputs from IANS and PTI.)
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