Kolkata: Experts said children under the age of two are most vulnerable to adenovirus, but parents need not panic as 90 per cent of cases can be treated at home, though precautions must be taken. Renowned pediatrician Dr Arun Kumarendu Singh, associated with AIIMS, Jodhpur, said that parents should ensure that their children wear masks and avoid crowded places.
Singh told PTI over phone, “Unlike Kovid, children below 10 years of age are more susceptible to adenovirus.
Referring to the recent spike in adenovirus cases in the country, including West Bengal, in which children have been affected, he said there was no reason to panic as such spikes happen every year during the change in weather from winter to spring.
Adenovirus causes respiratory diseases
Adenoviruses usually cause respiratory illnesses such as the common cold, conjunctivitis, bronchitis, or pneumonia.
In children, it usually causes infections in the respiratory tract and intestinal tract.
Singh said that in children under two years of age, adenovirus mainly causes infection through the respiratory tract, while children between the ages of two and five years develop an infection in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to diarrhoea. Are.
No specific treatment for adenovirus infection
He said that at present there is no specific treatment for adenovirus infection that causes cold or influenza-like illness.
“There are no approved antiviral drugs or specific treatments for people infected with adenovirus. About 90 percent of cases are mild and can be managed with over-the-counter fever reducers such as paracetamol, in addition to rest. Steam inhalation and inhalation Or even a nebulized bronchodilator can bring symptomatic relief,” Singh said.
He said some severely affected children required hospitalization and advised parents to keep the infected child with its mother to avoid psychological trauma.
“Children should wash their hands thoroughly and should not go near people with cough and cold,” he added.
Amid reports of a spike in adenovirus cases in the state, the West Bengal health department echoed Singh, saying there was nothing to worry as “the situation is under control in the state”.
32 per cent samples tested positive for adenovirus since January
At least 32 per cent of samples sent since January to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in Kolkata have tested positive for adenovirus.
Dr. Siddhartha Niyogi, Director of Health Services (DHS), said that precautionary measures should be taken to fight the adenovirus while advising people not to panic.
“At present, there is nothing to be concerned about the adenovirus spike in the state,” Dr Niyogi said.
The health official said that the adenovirus surge went unnoticed or could not be determined in the last few years due to the COVID pandemic.
“In the last few years, due to the raging COVID pandemic no tests were conducted to check for adenovirus cases due to which such cases went unnoticed.” he said.
“We are capable of dealing with the situation. However, as a measure of preparedness, we have issued some instructions to deal with the virus,” he added.
The health department has asked all chief medical health officers (CMOH) and medical college officials to take stock of the oxygen administration equipment and pediatric ventilators and check the preparedness.
The department has also recently issued an advisory asking people not to use antibiotics indiscriminately, besides “not sending sick children to school”.