Brain-Swelling 'Chamki Fever' Kills Five Children in India's Bihar, Here's What is Known So Far

At least five children have died recently in India’s Bihar state from the deadly disease known locally as “Chamki Fever” and clinically called encephalitis. The illness causes the brain to swell and is often seen to occur in children below the age of 15.

Though not much is known about the affliction, it is known that “Chamki Fever” affects the nervous system and occurs most often in people who have suffered a viral infection, Indian media has reported. 

In the past few days, the deadly fever has struck down many children in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district. According to media reports, the infected youngsters are being treated in the Sri Krishna Medical College & Hospital, Muzaffarpur.

Common symptoms of the disease include sudden fever and confusion and disorientation, according to a year-old blog post from Indian medical company Netmeds which added that, if not treated in time, the fever could result in mental exhaustion and involuntary rapid muscular movements. Other than death, the illness can leave a victim in a vegetative state, NetMeds noted in its research.

As residents of Muzaffarpur witness frequent cases of “Chamki Fever”, district administration has begun to  run awareness campaigns concerning the disease in the city itself, as well as in the neighboring rural areas.

Cases of the fever have been observed in India for the past few years. In 2019, it killed more than 100 children in Bihar. Residents of the state have often lobbied the state government to help them fight this “Chamki Fever” by doing more research on a concrete cure for it.

​India lost more than 66,000 citizens between April and May because of COVID-19 and fungal disease – according to official government numbers. Indians, thought still in recovery from the second brutal wave of COVID-19, fear that more side effects and mutations of the already existing illnesses could wreck havoc in the nation.