‘Brain fever’ death toll passes 150 in Bihar

The death toll from a brain disease that has stricken children in India's Bihar state rose above 150 yesterday as a court ordered an investigation into the crisis. The country's Supreme Court also demanded the government explain what measures it has taken to combat the spread of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) -- a deadly disease that has been widely linked to the eating of unripened lychee fruit.