Thirty six children have died in the flood-prone Muzaffarpur district in the last one week due to suspected encephalitis, official sources said.

Health officials in Muzaffarpur said the children died after developing symptoms of encephalitis. The children were found to catch sudden light fever in the early morning followed by attacks of convulsions and unconsciousness that led to death.

Alarmed by a likely outbreak of suspected encephalitis, a four-member central team is visiting Muzaffarpur on Sunday to study the cause of the spread of the disease, and to direct district officials to take preventive measures against it.

Exactly a decade ago in 1995, encephalitis had hit Muzaffarpur and claimed the lives of dozens of children.