Mothers with their sick children wait outside the emergency ward of the Dr BC Roy Post Graduate Institute of Pediatric Sciences with Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) in Kolkata. file | Photo Credit: PTI
The West Bengal government said in a press statement on Thursday that admission of children to hospitals acute respiratory infection (ARI) The cases in the state have come down from around 800 per day a week back to 600 per day now.
“So far, 13,061 acute respiratory infection cases have been reported among children in the last two and a half months. So far only 19 deaths have been reported due to adenovirus infection,” said the state government’s press statement.
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Meanwhile, the high-level task force set up by the state government to monitor work related to control of adenovirus and treatment of affected persons held its second meeting on Wednesday and decided that IEC (Information Education Communication) material should be circulated to parents. Will. Through social media and government portal. “Advice on home care of sick children will be re-circulated. Monitoring of referrals from peripheral hospitals to higher centers will be intensified, the government notification said.
The number of ARI cases among children stood at 12,343 on 13 March. The task force, headed by the state chief secretary, in its first meeting said that monitoring and awareness is being promoted at the community level by ASHA workers.
The government notification said: “Anganwadi workers have been sensitised. An advisory has been prepared in Bengali to sensitize families for primary screening of young children and early detection of respiratory infections.
The state government has claimed that most of the children who died of adenovirus infection had comorbidities.
The government said: “So far only 19 deaths have been reported due to adenovirus infection and of these, 13 cases had severe co-morbidities such as low birth weight – 3, pre-existing lung disease – 2, congenital heart disease – 3, Congenital metabolic diseases – 2, Muscular dystrophy – 2, Other serious infections – 1.
Unofficial reports suggest that more than 100 children have died of adenovirus infection in West Bengal this season. According to experts, a recombinant strain of human adenovirus type 3 (HAdV-3) and type 7 (HAdV-7) is causing most of the infections this season.