With encephalitis deaths being reported from South Bengal districts as well, the Union Health Ministry has decided to send a team to districts like Purulia, Bankura and Murshidabad to assess the current situation. Senior officials of the Union Health Ministry added that the team will reach Kolkata in the next couple of days. The team will visit the affected districts and will prepare a subsequent report. A senior official of the Union Health Ministry added that the team will visit the medical colleges in the respective districts and speak with the respective counterparts of the state government. They will also visit the fever wards in the hospitals to see whether there is adequate infrastructure to deal with the crisis. According to the figures collected from the state health department, one case of Encephalitis death has been reported from Murshidabad district, while two cases have been reported from Bankura and Purulia respectively, upto now. It may be noted that the Centre has already sent a team from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to visit North Bengal where around 124 patients have died at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital due to encephalitis. Most patients who died are from Jalpaiguri. Others were from Darjeeling, Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, lower Assam and Bihar as well. The Centre has also instructed the state government to conduct a vulnerability study of the areas in North Bengal from where such encephalitis patients are coming. The state government has prepared a draft report where it is stated that most patients who are being admitted to the North Bengal Medical College stay near the closed tea gardens. Encephalitis is an acute swelling of the brain and can be triggered by both viral and bacterial infections. The symptoms include high fever, convulsion and frigidity around the neck area. There is no specific treatment.