3 more kids die, West Bengal to audit all ARI deaths

KOLKATA: The task force set up by the state to monitor ARI (acute respiratory infection) cases among children will start analysing the data of affected and audit all deaths caused by ARI.
The committee will rope in a team of experienced paediatricians to formulate a standard treatment protocol for affected children, which all hospitals across government and private sectors will have to follow.
Despite a slight climbdown, ARI remains a cause of concern as affected children continue to flock hospitals. The infection claimed three more children in Kolkata in the past 24 hours.
"We will be analysing the data of admissions, discharges and deaths. This will help us get a clearer picture on the ARI scenario. Such data base analysis will also help us assess the loopholes and drawbacks if any and suggest ways for improvement," said a member of the task force.
ARI has affected 12,000-plus children in Bengal since the uptick began. At least, 62 kids have died across various hospitals in the city alone. The government has attributed 19 deaths to adenoviral infection, among whom 13 had several comorbidities.
"There is a misconception among people that all deaths are due to adenoviral infection, which is not true. This is causing panic among parents. Also, there are cases where children, who had associate comorbidities like congenital health issues, have died. That's why we feel the need to audit each death and come up with correct data," said IPGMER gastroenterology head GK Dhali, also a member of the task force.
Experts will visit hospitals to monitor treatment protocol as it was done during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The government has also decided to train specialist doctors in private hospitals and private practitioners on the treatment protocol. The task force is also roping in doctors from IMA and Indian Association of Paediatricians to raise awareness among doctors and also the public.
Sending random ARI samples for detecting the virus on a regular basis and sequencing some of the adenovirus positive samples to verify any changes was also suggested during the first meeting of the task force on Monday. West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission will hold a meet with private hospitals on Tuesday to sensitise them about the management protocol.
Three more kids succumbed to ARI between late Sunday night and Monday. All were undergoing treatment at Dr BC Roy hospital. None, however, were from Kolkata. Sources said they were aged less than a year and had come from North 24 Parganas.