Claim: Death toll from acute encephalitis in east Indian town rises to 129 children.
Verdict: SUPPORTS

Retrieved passages:
title: Baba Raghav Das Medical College
text: the neighbouring country of Nepal, come to the hospital for treatment. According to a 2017 estimate, the BRD Medical College treats over 60% of the encephalitis cases in India, and receives 2500–3000 encephalitis patients every year. Most of the encephalitis cases arrive during August–October, when the number of patients in the hospital ranges from 400 to 700. The first encephalitis epidemic broke out in the Gorkhapur region in 1978. During 1978–2011, more than 30,000 encephalitis deaths were recorded at the BRD medical college. This included the deaths of 1,500 patients, 90% of them children, in 2005. The 2005 outbreak was

title: Baba Raghav Das Medical College
text: the worst since 1978. The tragedy became a political issue, and several ministers visited the place. The number of cases went down after vaccinations were administered to children in the area. According to official records, during 2012–2017, more than 3,000 children died at the BRD hospital. Most of the deaths were attributed to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) caused by the Japanese encephalitis. According to the institution's former principal and head of pediatrics department KP Kushwaha, these officials numbers are actually understated. In 2017, he alleged that the doctors at the institution play down the number of deaths to avoid action

title: Baba Raghav Das Medical College
text: against them, and to get promotions. Other medical practitioners have blamed the hospital's negligence as a major factor behind the high number of child deaths. Over these years, several politicians visited the hospital after each incident of mass child deaths. They made promises to upgrade the hospital facilities, but no such upgrades were done. In 2017, 175 children died of encephalitis (out of a total 1,256 deaths at the hospital). The deaths attracted media attention and generated political controversy in August 2017, when 296 children died (including 77 of encephalitis). However, the total number of child deaths (including encephalitis-related child

title: 2017 Gorakhpur hospital deaths
text: to treat neo-natal and pediatric encephalitis. It has seen a number of child deaths since 1978, when the first encephalitis outbreak in the Gorakhpur region. During 1978-2017, around 25,000 children have died of encephalitis. As of 3 September 2017, 1,317 children had died in the hospital during 2017. The number of deaths has sharply declined compared to the previous years. As of 2 September 2017, the month of August saw the highest number of deaths (325): On 6 April, the hospital's oxygen supplier, Puspha Sales wrote a letter to the Chief Minister, Adityanath, and Health Minister reminding them that the

title: Acute HME syndrome
text: state government to investigate into the death of approximately 100 children in Malkangiri district that occurred since September 2015. The deaths were suspected to have occurred due to Japanese encephalitis. In its interim report, the panel indicated that anthraquinone, a toxin found in the ‘bada chakunda’ (Cassia occidentalis) plant was identified in the urine sample of 5 deceased children thus indicating that some of the children may have died of Encephalopathy, which is caused due to consumption of the plant. At the end of four years, it was concluded that the disease was not encephalitis as so far believed but

title: 2017 Gorakhpur hospital deaths
text: Party accused the state government of encouraging corrupt practices at the hospital. 2017 Gorakhpur hospital deaths A large number of child deaths occurred at the state-run BRD Medical College hospital in Gorakhpur city of Uttar Pradesh, India in 2017. As of 2 September 2017, 1,317 children had died at the hospital in 2017. The 2017 deaths attracted national attention in August, when 325 children died at the hospital after the hospital's piped oxygen supply ran out. The number of child deaths in previous years were 5,850 in 2014; 6,917 in 2015; and 6,121 in 2016. Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) was

title: Nipah virus infection
text: By mid-1999, more than 265 human cases of encephalitis, including 105 deaths, had been reported in Malaysia, and 11 cases of either encephalitis or respiratory illness with one fatality were reported in Singapore. In 2001, Nipah virus was reported from Meherpur District, Bangladesh and Siliguri, India. The outbreak again appeared in 2003, 2004 and 2005 in Naogaon District, Manikganj District, Rajbari District, Faridpur District and Tangail District. In Bangladesh, there were also outbreaks in subsequent years. In May 2018, an outbreak was reported in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, India. Seventeen deaths were recorded, including one healthcare worker. Those who

title: Japanese encephalitis
text: the leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia, with up to 70,000 cases reported annually. Case-fatality rates range from 0.3% to 60% and depend on the population and age. Rare outbreaks in U.S. territories in the Western Pacific have also occurred. Residents of rural areas in endemic locations are at highest risk; Japanese encephalitis does not usually occur in urban areas. Countries which have had major epidemics in the past, but which have controlled the disease primarily by vaccination, include China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. Other countries that still have periodic epidemics include Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, India, Nepal,

title: 2017 Gorakhpur hospital deaths
text: 2017 Gorakhpur hospital deaths A large number of child deaths occurred at the state-run BRD Medical College hospital in Gorakhpur city of Uttar Pradesh, India in 2017. As of 2 September 2017, 1,317 children had died at the hospital in 2017. The 2017 deaths attracted national attention in August, when 325 children died at the hospital after the hospital's piped oxygen supply ran out. The number of child deaths in previous years were 5,850 in 2014; 6,917 in 2015; and 6,121 in 2016. Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) was a major cause of the deaths: Till 29 August 2017, 175 children

title: Baba Raghav Das Medical College
text: at the institution. In 2009, the state government granted the College several millions of rupees from a federal health programme. The College spent a part of this money to hire 135 researchers, doctors and paramedics focused on encephalitis treatment. However, by August 2009, most of the money had been spent, and only 36 of the hired staff were being paid regular salaries. In August 2017, it was reported that an average of 300 child patients were being admitted to the 50-bed pediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU) every month. One infant warmer was being used for 3–4 babies simultaneously. The families

title: Eastern equine encephalitis
text: children died of encephalitis in the Northeastern United States. These cases coincided with outbreaks in horses in the same regions. The fatality rate in humans is 33%, and currently no cure is known for human infections. This virus has four variations in the types in lineage. The most common to the human disease is Group 1, which is considered to be endemic in North American and the Caribbean, while the other three lineages, Groups IIA, IIB, and III, are typically found in Central and South America, causing equine illness. These two clades may actually be distinct viruses. The North American

title: Encephalitis
text: may include antiviral medications (such as acyclovir), anticonvulsants, and corticosteroids. Treatment generally takes place in hospital. Some people require artificial respiration. Once the immediate problem is under control, rehabilitation may be required. In 2015, encephalitis was estimated to have affected 4.3 million people and resulted in 150,000 deaths worldwide. Adult patients with encephalitis present with acute onset of fever, headache, confusion, and sometimes seizures. Younger children or infants may present irritability, poor appetite and fever. Neurological examinations usually reveal a drowsy or confused patient. Stiff neck, due to the irritation of the meninges covering the brain, indicates that the patient

title: Baba Raghav Das Medical College
text: Adityanath. In the past, the encephalitis epidemics in the Gorakhpur region have been attributed to the typical viruses, such as the Japanese encephalitis virus. Since the epidemic first broke out in 1978, several organizations including the National Institute of Virology and the National Centre for Disease Control visited the BRD Medical College to determine the cause of the encephalitis outbreaks. They ran lab tests for the malaria parasite, and the various viruses that are known to cause encephalitis, including enteroviruses, the Chikungunya virus, the Herpes simplex virus, and the dengue virus. In 2007, the Government of India started a Japanese

title: Enterovirus 71
text: cases occurring mainly in children were reported, with 22 dead and 42 critically ill. Some 415 new cases were reported in 24 hours in Fuyang City alone. As of May 5, 2008, 6,300 were sickened by the viral outbreak which killed another child in Zhejiang, raising the death toll to 26 children, with 1,198 other children affected in that province alone. Specifically, an additional 5,151 cases were reported in Anhui province, with scores more in 4 other provinces. 8,531 cases of children infected with hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) were reported in China. All the children infected were aged below 6, with

title: Japanese encephalitis
text: vaccine, which is both safe and effective. Other measures include avoiding mosquito bites. Once infected there is no specific treatment, with care being supportive. This is generally carried out in hospital. Permanent problems occur in up to half of people who recover from JE. The disease occurs in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. About 3 billion people live in areas where the disease occurs. About 68,000 symptomatic cases occur a year with about 17,000 deaths. Often cases occur in outbreaks. The disease was first described in 1871. The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) has an incubation period of 2 to

title: Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever
text: Iran, resulting in 8 fatalities. In October 2012, a British man died from the disease at the Royal Free Hospital in London. He had earlier been admitted to Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow, after returning on a flight from Kabul in Afghanistan. In July 2013, seven persons died due to CCHF in Kariyana village in Babra taluka, Amreli district, Gujarat, India. In August 2013, a farmer from Agago, Uganda was treated at Kalongo Hospital for a confirmed CCHF infection. The deaths of three other individuals in the northern region were suspected to have been caused by the virus. Another unrelated

title: Baba Raghav Das Medical College
text: encephalitis vaccination programme with drugs imported from China. The initiative was successful in several states, but the Gorkahpur region continued to see a high number of encephalitis cases. After research, other viruses, such as the enteroviruses were also ruled out as a major cause. In 2009, the scientists from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention visited the area to take samples to identify the virus. A 2016 study by a group of 10 doctors concluded that a high number of the children admitted to BRD Medical College had encephalitis triggered by the scrub typhus, a bacterium that

title: Postvaccinal encephalitis
text: and these strains differed significantly in causing adverse events. The incidence of PVE was between 44.9 cases per one million vaccinations with Bern strain used in western Europe to 2.9 cases per one million vaccinations with NYCBH strain used in the US. Number of deaths directly connected to PVE also differed from strain to strain. With 11 deaths per one million vaccinations with the Bern strain to 1.2 deaths per one million vaccinations with the NYCBH strain. PVE incidence also depended on the age of the vaccinated person. That is why in the US children up to one year of

title: Encephalitis
text: of disease and result in an increase in healthcare expenditure. Identification of poor prognostic factors include cerebral edema, status epilepticus, and thrombocytopenia. In contrast, a normal encephalogram at the early stages of diagnosis is associated with high rates of survival. The number of new cases a year of acute encephalitis in Western countries is 7.4 cases per 100,000 people per year. In tropical countries, the incidence is 6.34 per 100,000 people per year. The number of cases of encephalitis has not changed much over time, with about 250,000 cases a year from 2005 to 2015 in the US. Approximately seven

title: Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis
text: is skewed toward children, with a median age of diagnosis of 21 years. Over a third of cases were children, while only 5% of cases were patients over the age of 45. This same review found that 394 out of 501 patients (79%) had a good outcome by 24 months. 30 patients (6%) died, and the rest were left with mild to severe deficits. The study also confirmed that patients with the condition are more likely to be of Asian or African origin. Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is suspected of being an underlying cause of historical accounts of demonic possession. "New