Patna, May 30 (IANS) Encephalitis has claimed the lives of eight children in Bihar in the last one month, with two of them succumbing to the disease Thursday, an official said.

Encephalitis causes high fever, irritation and swelling of the brain. An official said: "Two more children have died in Champaran district."

The first encephalitis-related death in the state this year was reported in the last week of April in Muzaffarpur, about 70 km from here

Last year, the disease killed nearly 240 children in Muzaffarpur and Gaya districts.