Scorching sun may take a toll on kids' health: Kolkata doctors

KOLKATA: Even as the rising temperature is forcing adenovirus to retreat, the scorching summer has become a cause of concern for kids.
City doctors have started getting children with complaints of gastrointestinal problems, severe dehydration, nausea, skin rashes and fever. According to them, one of the main reasons could be heat stress. With the Met office warning of no respite from the heat anytime soon, doctors said there was need for parents as well as schools to take precautionary measures.

"We have started getting cases of children complaining of gastrointestinal issues like abdomen pain and diarrhoea, nausea, reluctance to eat and also fever. Some are even requiring hospital care for replenishing fluid via IV," said Dibyendu Raycahudhuri, associate professor of paediatrics at Medical College Hospital, Kolkata.
Adenovirus, which had been affecting children for more than three months, had started to become less virulent by the second week of March. Though the hospitals are still getting adenovirus cases, the numbers are few by now. The severity has also gone down significantly.
But what doctors are concerned about now is the impact of the soaring heat. The Met office has already issued a heatwave alert for Kolkata and a few other districts, when the maximum temperature is likely to touch the 40°C mark.
"Many cases of diarrhoea, vomiting and fever have started coming in over the past few days. It could be due to the rising heat. In one child, we found adenovirus in the stool sample. Younger kids are vulnerable to excessive heat. With schools just reopening, we expect to get more heat-related complaints in the coming days," said paediatrician Pallab Chaterjee.
Doctors said heath stress can lead to rapid dehydration, heat exhaustion, cramps, rashes and even heat stroke in severe cases. Some of the alert signals parents need to watch out for include nausea/vomiting, dizziness, lethargy, refusal to eat, decreased urination, thirst and excessive irritability and fainting.
"Every year, we get heat-related health complaints among children. But this time, as the heat has started hitting early, we could possibly see more children falling prey in the days ahead. While parents need to be careful to ensure children avoid outdoors when the heat index is high, schools should also take precautions to restrict physical activities of children," said paediatrician Sumita Saha.