There is no correlation between Litchi and AES disease, Dr Shailesh Prasad Singh said (Representational)
With the Bihar government starting the home-delivery of Muzaffarpur's famous "Shahi Litchi" in select districts from Monday with help from the postal department, officials have said there is no harm in connoisseurs enjoying the coveted fruit.
Dr Shailesh Prasad Singh, Civil Surgeon, Muzaffarpur, said that no correlation has been found between the consumption of the fruit and the acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) disease which took the lives of many children in the state last year.
"There is no correlation between the fruit and the AES disease, according to what I have seen. Cases of AES affecting children started coming from January-February when litchi is not even available in the market," Dr Singh told ANI here.
Meanwhile, Director of the Litchi Research Centre, Dr Vishal Nath, hailed the move, saying it will prove beneficial for the farmers and added that the constituents of the fruit actually help the immune system of people.
"It is a very positive move by the Bihar government, which will prove to be beneficial for the farmers and for the buyers as well, as they will be able to get the product home-delivered, after getting tested for quality," Nath said.
"Research had clarified that the fruit is in no way associated with the AES disease. There is nothing in litchi that can adversely affect anyone. Moreover, the antioxidants, Vitamin-C, calcium, phosphorus, Omega-3, among others will help boost the immune system, which will come in handy in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. It can serve as a health food," he added.
Home delivery of Shahi Litchi began today, while that of "Zardalu Aam", a coveted variety of mango from Bhagalpur, will begin from June.
Earlier today, the Ministry of Communications had said that orders for 4,400 kilograms of Litchi had already been placed and is expected to go up to 1 lakh kilogram during the season.
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