Waves of viruses hit Kolkata kids after Covid, some need hospital care – Indiatimes.com

KOLKATA: Parents of a nine-year-old girl, a student of a prominent private school in Kolkata, was discharged from hospital about three weeks ago where she underwent intense treatment for viral infection. The girl had even started attending school post-recovery. Her parents, however, had to rush her back to the same hospital last week with high grade fever, cough and cold that turned severe. Doctors detected a different virus that caused the infection this time.
It is not just the attack by a single virus but an increasing number of children across the city are falling prey to multiple viruses – they are being infected by more than one at the same time.
Paediatricians said one of the reasons for prolonged cold, cough and fever in many children is multiple viral infections.
“We are seeing a significant number of children with repeated viral attacks this time. I have come across numerous cases of children getting fresh viral infection within a few weeks of recovering from another viral infection,” said Dibyendu Raychaudhuri , associate professor of paediatrics at Medical College Hospital Kolkata.
According to Prabhas Prasun Giri, associate professor of paediatrics, Institute of Child Health Kolkata, some of these children are even requiring oxygen and nebulisation support.
“Viral infections among children are common around this time of the year. But this year the magnitude in terms of the affected and the nature of infection is different. Earlier, the infections were more benign unlike this time. In addition to repeated viral infection, some children are getting bacterial infection,” said Giri, who is also a paediatric intensivist.
The viruses in circulation, affecting children currently, include adenovirus, parainfluenza, RS virus, rhino virus, human metapneumovirus and other corona viruses. Doctors said adenovirus is the most troublesome among them.
“A few days ago, we had a seven-year-old boy with very bad viral infection. On investigation we found that the child had multiple infections caused by adenovirus, influenza and para pertussis. Such type of infection is making some children very sick due to prolonged high grade fever, persistent cough along with vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration as they are unable to eat,” said paediatrician Pallab Chatterjee of Manipal Hospitals Salt Lake.
Health experts said that while no exposure to viruses for about two years when children stayed indoors is one of the reasons, they also blamed the rapid fluctuation in weather and the rising pollution level. “Another hypothesis is the possibility that most children had been exposed to Covid and if that is affecting their immune system. Also it needs to be studied if the viruses have become more virulent,” added Giri.
When these children stayed indoors mostly during the Covid-19 pandemic, they remained protected from these viruses while natural infection is a way of developing antibody. Now as they return to schools, they are exposed to multiple viruses in circulation. Some children are also missing out routine immunisation and this is being cited as a reason for these multiple/repeated viral attacks.
The impact is worst on children who already have respiratory issues like asthma and allergy.
“But if the infection is mild, parents need not worry about sending their kids to school,” said Raychaudhuri.
Even as the respiratory virus sent some children to hospital PICUs, many others escaped with inhaler.However, doctors have allayed the fears of parents that their children will become dependent on MDI (metered dose inhaler).