KOLKATA: A four-month-old with symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease has tested Covid-19 positive, something that has already been noticed in New York and several European countries. Kawasaki disease causes inflammation in blood vessels throughout the body. It happens in three phases, and a lasting fever is usually the first sign. The condition mostly affects children below five years.
“There are some recent cases in European countries where children have had this inflammatory symptoms, which is similar to the Kawasaki syndrome, but it seems to be very rare,” World Health Organization scientist Dr Maria Van Kerkhove had said at a news briefing last week.
The four-month-old boy who was shifted from a private hospital off EM Bypass to state’s Covid-hospital MR Bangur, where they were allegedly not attended to for hours in the isolation ward on Wednesday. On Thursday, they were transferred back to another private hospital in Mukundapur that has better paediatric care facilities.
“We had admitted the child around 5.30pm on Wednesday. Initially, no one attended to the child despite knowing that he also has Kawasaki disease. The inflammation of Kawasaki disease can damage a child’s coronary arteries, which carry blood to their heart. He was under antibiotics at the private hospital. When a nurse said the doctor would visit only on Thursday morning and that the course of treatment would be decided three days later when some investigation results arrived, I called up everyone whom I felt could help,” the child’s father said.
Among those who were alerted were PWD minister Aroop Biswas and fire minister Sujit Bose, who called the hospital authorities. MR Bangur hospital superintendant Partha Pratim Guha though said there was no negligence and that a doctor had attended to the child twice, once at 6.30pm and then again at night,” he said.
The parents suspect the baby contracted the disease from a clinic where he underwent a regular checkup in the last week of April. The baby then developed severe fever and rashes all over his body and on May 2, the parents realized he needed hospitalization. Two local doctors advised them to rush to a mother-and-childcare hospital. “We also had maids coming to the house and I had been to market to fetch baby food. Any one could be the source,” the father said.
The boy was admitted at a hospital off Bypass on Sunday, May 3. Initial diagnosis with ecocardiogram revealed that the baby had Kawasaki disease. The treatment began and he showed improvement. His swab was also collected for Covid test. When he tested positive, late on Tuesday evening, the hospital notified the state health ministry and a decision was taken to transfer the child and the mother to MR Bangur. On Thursday, the two were transferred to the private hospital in Mukundapur.
“There are some recent cases in European countries where children have had this inflammatory symptoms, which is similar to the Kawasaki syndrome, but it seems to be very rare,” World Health Organization scientist Dr Maria Van Kerkhove had said at a news briefing last week.
The four-month-old boy who was shifted from a private hospital off EM Bypass to state’s Covid-hospital MR Bangur, where they were allegedly not attended to for hours in the isolation ward on Wednesday. On Thursday, they were transferred back to another private hospital in Mukundapur that has better paediatric care facilities.
“We had admitted the child around 5.30pm on Wednesday. Initially, no one attended to the child despite knowing that he also has Kawasaki disease. The inflammation of Kawasaki disease can damage a child’s coronary arteries, which carry blood to their heart. He was under antibiotics at the private hospital. When a nurse said the doctor would visit only on Thursday morning and that the course of treatment would be decided three days later when some investigation results arrived, I called up everyone whom I felt could help,” the child’s father said.
Among those who were alerted were PWD minister Aroop Biswas and fire minister Sujit Bose, who called the hospital authorities. MR Bangur hospital superintendant Partha Pratim Guha though said there was no negligence and that a doctor had attended to the child twice, once at 6.30pm and then again at night,” he said.
The parents suspect the baby contracted the disease from a clinic where he underwent a regular checkup in the last week of April. The baby then developed severe fever and rashes all over his body and on May 2, the parents realized he needed hospitalization. Two local doctors advised them to rush to a mother-and-childcare hospital. “We also had maids coming to the house and I had been to market to fetch baby food. Any one could be the source,” the father said.
The boy was admitted at a hospital off Bypass on Sunday, May 3. Initial diagnosis with ecocardiogram revealed that the baby had Kawasaki disease. The treatment began and he showed improvement. His swab was also collected for Covid test. When he tested positive, late on Tuesday evening, the hospital notified the state health ministry and a decision was taken to transfer the child and the mother to MR Bangur. On Thursday, the two were transferred to the private hospital in Mukundapur.
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