The latest 16 deaths were reported from the previously-unaffected districts of Unnao and Balrampur of Uttar Pradesh state, where hospitals were treating more than 1,500 patients, said provincial health chief OP Singh.
The worst-hit district of Gorakhpur near Nepal's border has reported 392 deaths since late July, when encephalitis hit Uttar Pradesh, Singh said in the state capital, Lucknow, adding that children were the main victims.
He said the latest casualties suggested the disease, which is transmitted through mosquito bites, had spread to 25 of the state's 70 districts.
The state's chief microbiologist, TN Dhole, who returned today after leading a scientists' team to Gorakhpur, painted a bleak picture of the situation in the remote area 250 km south-east of Lucknow.
"It is catastrophic," he said. "The toll must be much, much higher because the government is only taking into account the deaths reported in state-run hospitals.
news.com.au
Are there any members based in India, who know about this?
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