Muzaffarpur district, called as Land of ‘Litchi’ faced a severe tragedy earlier this week more than 50 children were admitted to the government hospital in the district. They were affected by a mysterious brain fever. Many parents rushed to the hospital with their children following the already affected children and the numbers grew high every day.
The mysterious fever spread and today more than 100 children have died because of it. Some early analysis by experts from Government and Health departments say that the death causing brain fever is actually from the fruit that has become synonymous with the state – Litchi.
Litchi has a type of toxic substance called MCPG – Methylene Cyclopropyl Glycine which lowers the blood sugar level. The affected children are majorly from the poor sides of Bihar and there is a reason why Muzaffarpur is called Land Of Litchi. Litchis are available in plenty in the district for trade and when the kids play near orchids, they have innocently consumed them.
When children consumed Litchis but failed to take the nourishment they needed especially at night, their bodies’ blood sugar level dropped. This is probably the reason for the deaths of more than 100 children. Many sources say that Bihar is one of most poorest and malnourished states in India. This is not the first time Litchi has taken the lives of children.
These deaths due to MCPG present in Litchi have been studied by researchers. A group of them have already published a scholarly article saying ” The presence of MCPG in litchi seeds had been known for a long time, but there are no reports of MCPG in litchi fruits. Our finding provides the much needed evidence for biological plausibility that litchi consumption by undernourished children, especially after prolonged fasting, triggers the hypoglycaemic encephalopathy that manifests during the early hours of the morning.”
We have taken their finding as a viable/plausible point. Many researchers have claimed that malnourishment is the major cause for the deaths of the people.