On a visit to a hospital in Bihar on Sunday, where over 100 children have died due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in the past few days, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Health Ashwani Kumar Choubey dozed off during a press conference.
Choubey was visiting the state-owned Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in the Muzaffarnagar district, to meet the families of the children suffering from the deadly disease. He was accompanying Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey was also present at the meeting after visiting the families, the Union Health Minister addressed a press conference where his deputy Choubey can be seen dozing off.
On being asked whether he was sleeping during the press briefing, Choubey defended himself by saying that he was in “deep thought”. “Main manan chintan bhi karta hoon na, main so nahi raha tha ( I was in a deep thought, I wasn’t sleeping),” Choubey said.
At least 100 children have lost their lives due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur, officials said.
Sunil Kumar Shahi, Superintendent at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), said, "Death toll due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur has risen to 100."
According to official data, 83 children have died in Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), while 17 have lost their lives in Kejriwal hospital in the city.
AES is a viral disease, which causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions, and headache.
