More than 100 children die in India in encephalitis outbreak

PATNA, India (AP) — An encephalitis outbreak has killed more than 100 children in India’s eastern state of Bihar.

Authorities say 106 children have died and 437 others between the ages of 4 and 10 are being treated in hospitals in Muzaffarpur district, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Patna, the state capital.

Villagers crowded outside Sri Krishna Medical College Hospital in Muzaffarpur to protest that Bihar’s chief minister had only visited after the death toll passed 100. Left-wing political organizations also rallied in New Delhi.

Thousands of Indians suffer from encephalitis, malaria, typhoid and other mosquito-borne diseases each year during the summer monsoon season.

Medical experts say India’s central and state governments remain unprepared for what is now an annual cycle of disease and death.