After ARI, Kolkata hospitals report cases of secondary infections in children

KOLKATA: Scores of children admitted at private hospitals with respiratory distress are suffering a relapse or a secondary infection, often forcing re-hospitalization. The viral and bacterial load is responsible for the spread of infections and multiple attacks which are also afflicting adults, say doctors. While the number of affected kids has been on the slide, a sudden temperature drop triggered by the thunderstorm on Thursday night could prolong the spate of infections, said experts.
At Peerless Hospital, while some kids have tested positive to adenovirus and meta-pneumo or rhinovirus, many had a double or successive attacks forcing them to seek re-hospitalization within a week. "This week, we had a six-month-old admitted with three simultaneous infections - adenovirus, H3N2 strain of Influenza A and para-influenza. Some cases of simultaneous viral and bacterial infection have also been detected," said Peerless Hospital microbiologist Bhaskar Narayan Chowdhury.
Around 5%-10% of kids returned for re-admission with a relapse at Medica Superspecialty Hospital. "Most have respiratory infections and the symptoms are cough and cold. But the severity of infection has gone down over the last one week," said Medica head of the department of paediatrics and neonatology Nicola Judith Flynn. She added that Medica has 10 HDU beds, eight paediatric beds apart from 26 other beds for children.
At Fortis Hospital Anandapur, the flow of children with ARI remains unchanged since late-February with around 1 in five being detected with multiple or successive infections. "Many have been admitted with re-infection over the last two weeks. We still have a number of severe cases, including a six-month-old who has been suffering from fever for a month and was admitted with adenovirus," said Fortis neonatologist Sumita Saha.
AMRI Mukundapur has over 50 kids at its paediatric unit. "Around 10% have needed repeat admission," said AMRI CEO Rupak Barua.
Kids are more vulnerable to viral/bacterial infections since they have practically no immunity. "Till 12 years, immunity remains low and chances of infection are consequently high," said Shubhadeep Sinha, infectious diseases consultant at Pace Hospitals, Hyderabad.