A mother comforts her child, suffering from Japanese Encephalitis (AFP)
With two more children succumbing to encephalitis in the past 24 hours, the death toll in eastern Uttar Pradesh due to the disease has risen to 497.
While one of the children belonged to Basti district, the other was from neighbouring state of Bihar, according to sources at BRD Medical College Hospital in Gorakhpur.
A total of 497 children have died due to the disease since January 2013, while a total of 2,382, including 24 new admissions, in last 24 hours have been admitted at the BRDMCH and other government hospitals, they said.
At present 234 patients are being treated at BRDMCH, said the sources.